The Sacramento Kings announced that Doug Christie would have his interim tag removed and officially become the team’s head coach for the 2025–26 NBA season. This marked the first significant decision under new GM Scott Perry’s leadership.
The move signaled a desire for some continuity on the sidelines as the franchise potentially enters a new chapter. However, outside of Christie himself, it appears that much of the coaching staff may not remain in place.
Multiple Kings assistant coaches not retained for next season
It has been reported that while Doug Christie will return as head coach, several assistant coaches from last season will not be retained. Among those departing are lead assistant Jay Triano—widely considered the most accomplished coach on the previous staff aside from Mike Brown—along with Jawad Williams and three other assistants. That leaves five coaching vacancies for the Kings to fill.
Leandro Barbosa, a 14-year NBA veteran who has been on Sacramento’s staff since 2022, has survived the shake-up and will continue with the team.
A potential replacement for Triano as lead assistant is Mike Woodson, a highly experienced coach with a résumé even more extensive than Triano’s. Woodson spent over a decade as an NBA player (1980–1991), then transitioned into coaching in 1996. His 25-year coaching career includes head coaching roles with the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks. Most recently, he served as the head coach at Indiana University, a role he left at the end of this past season. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Woodson is currently a leading candidate for the Kings’ top assistant role under Christie.
The Kings will also be moving forward without Luke Loucks, who joined the organization in 2022 after five years with the Golden State Warriors. Loucks made a strong impression in Sacramento, parlaying his success into a head coaching job at Florida State, where he’ll lead the program next season.
It’s worth noting that Christie, while familiar with the current group—having been on staff since 2022—did not assemble this coaching team himself. These departures now give him the opportunity to build his own staff from the ground up. It will be interesting to see how he takes advantage of that freedom.
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