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Insider drops report on Kings' extension talks with Mike Brown
Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown. Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Kings and Mike Brown have had discussions about a possible contract extension for the head coach, but there’s a “gulf” between the two sides, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that Brown and the Kings have decided to table those extension discussions.

Brown received a four-year contract when he was hired by Sacramento during the 2022 offseason, but only three years of that deal are guaranteed — the fourth is a mutual option, meaning both sides would have to opt in. That option wasn’t exercised, according to James Ham of The Kings Beat, so Brown will be on an expiring contract if he and the Kings don’t reach an extension agreement by the start of the 2024-25 season.

Brown has led the Kings to a 94-70 (.573) overall regular-season record since taking the reins from Alvin Gentry. He guided the franchise to its first playoff berth since 2006 and won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in 2022-23.

Sacramento was eliminated in the first round of the 2023 postseason, however, and didn’t make the playoffs in Brown’s second year. Despite winning 46 regular-season games in 2023-24, the Kings finished outside the top eight in the conference and were eliminated in the second game of the play-in tournament.

Since Brown’s hiring, a number of head coaches around the league — including Monty Williams, Erik Spoelstra, Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr and Mike Budenholzer — have signed lucrative multiyear deals worth eight figures annually. According to Ham, Brown is set to make less than $5M this season.

Recent reports from The Athletic and Yahoo Sports have suggested that Brown’s next deal seems likely to be worth at least $10M per year, but it sounds as if he and the Kings have a gap to bridge in their negotiations. There’s nothing stopping the team and its coach from reopening their contract talks at any time, but Wojnarowski’s report suggests that’s unlikely to happen in the short term.

This article first appeared on Hoops Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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