The firing of head coach Mike Brown in December 2024 set off a series of events that tanked the Sacramento Kings' 2024-2025 season. Now, Brown is the head coach of the New York Knicks, with his first game against his former team happening in Sacramento on January 14, 2026.
This is a month before the All-Star Game and mere weeks before the trade deadline. It is significant because the Kings and Knicks will not face each other at all in the first half of the season, but will then face off twice in the back half of the season.
The Kings have time to find a rhythm
What's nice about it is that the Kings have time to get into a groove. With a new head coach and a rebuilt front office in place, Sacramento is in a much different space than they were when Mike Brown was terminated. Their new focus on defense will hopefully make them more consistently competitive.
There will be several months of games between the start of the preseason and when the Knicks come to town. By that point, the Kings should have a clear idea of where they are in their development. If not, then they have much bigger issues to deal with than the Knicks.
Mike Brown's homecoming
As head coach, Mike Brown wasn't in Sacramento for very long. That being said, he did coach the team to their first post-season run in 16 years with the unbalanced roster the front office haphazardly put together. He was fired a season and a half later, basically for not winning more.
Brown's tenure was short, but his time with the Kings was impactful, making his return a big deal. Most fans weren't happy to see him go, particularly in the unceremonious way he was fired. Regardless, it's hard to say what their response will be to his return.
The Knicks come to town
There is a certain amount of irony to Brown coaching the Knicks. He replaced Tom Thibodeau, who turned the Knicks into a winning franchise the way Brown did in Sacramento. Thibodeau was also dubiously fired for essentially not winning enough, opening the position for Brown.
Mike is returning to Sacramento as the bench boss for one of the top teams in the league, which is absolutely loaded with talent. It's going to be a tough matchup for the Kings, one that could completely validate their choice to fire Brown or make them look like fools for letting him go.