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What’s the long-term plan in Sacramento? What is the Kings’ front office building toward? Who is the voice of the franchise’s management?
Like most Sacramento fans, De’Aaron Fox wanted answers to those questions. He loved the city and its rabid fan base, but wanted stability in the organization. He wanted a plan that would move the Kings up the ladder in the West. The surprise mid-season firing of Mike Brown — Fox’s guy — and the hiring of Doug Christie to replace him ended Fox’s hope he would see that.
That firing of Brown solidified Fox’s idea that it was better for him to spend the prime of his career elsewhere — and now Domantas Sabonis wants clarification on the franchise’s future, too. All that according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater at The Athletic, who have a must-read story on the Kings on the night Fox returns to Sacramento. It starts with new coach Christie calling Fox’s agent Rich Paul to get a sense of his star’s plans, especially after an 11-4 start for Christie (the team is 8-7 sense).
The temporary bump up the standings hadn’t masked Fox’s unflattering view of the organization’s culture under owner Vivek Ranadivé. And Christie’s elevation above the hastily fired Mike Brown, Fox’s preferred head coach, was merely the latest and loudest reminder of that reality.
So Paul, according to league sources, informed Christie that the path ahead remained unchanged. If anything, Fox was only firmer in the belief that his prime seasons were better spent elsewhere. This wasn’t a trade request, but a transparent assessment of the state of the franchise and a confirmation that the time had come for both sides to plot an exit.
As for Sabonis, he’s in the mental space Fox was a year ago.
League sources said Sabonis, who has three more seasons and a combined $140.3 million left on his current deal, is expected to seek clarity about the organization’s plan in the offseason. Just as Fox wanted to know whose voice mattered most on key decisions, and who the team’s owner might be trusting the most as counsel, Sabonis is known to have similar questions.
Another source summed it up for The Athletic.
“What is…
[ad_2]Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/deaaron-fox-firing-mike-brown-225443670.html
Author : NBC Sports
Publish date : 2025-03-07 22:54:00
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