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NBA coaching carousel: What's next for the Grizzlies and Kings jobs?

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Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 01 April 2025 10:49

With two weeks to go in the NBA's regular season, there are two open head coaching jobs.

On Friday, the Memphis Grizzlies fired longtime coach Taylor Jenkins, almost three months to the day of a similarly abrupt and surprising firing in Sacramento, as the Kings dismissed Mike Brown amid a losing streak in late December.

Will more jobs open over the next several weeks? Last season, seven teams changed coaches, including three -- the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns -- that did so after making the playoffs.

Here's our annual look at the NBA's coaching carousel, with the pros and cons of each vacancy and who could fill them:


Memphis Grizzlies

  • 2024-25 record: 44-31 (No. 5 in West)

  • Previous coach: Taylor Jenkins (fired March 28; assistant Tuomas Iisalo takes over on interim basis)

  • Lead executive: Zach Kleiman (hired in 2019)

Positive: A promising young core

Despite suffering injuries throughout the season, the Grizzlies are still in the top five in the Western Conference standings, and with the league's fifth-best net rating -- trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets.

With Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis' core is entering its prime, which should give the Grizzlies runway to contend for the rest of this decade. Kleiman has shown that he can find talented second-round and undrafted players, giving Memphis a deep and versatile roster behind that star talent.

One NBA executive said this is a team that, if things break right, is reminiscent of the Cleveland Cavaliers last season before Kenny Atkinson came in and the franchise improved this season. That's the kind of boost Kleiman and the Grizzlies believe is possible.

Negatives: Small market, recent instability

Memphis is far from an NBA glamour market, and this team has had a lot of friction and uncertainty over the past year.

The Grizzlies fired virtually Jenkins' entire coaching staff last summer, bringing in -- among others -- Iisalo and Noah LaRoche to fill it out. Then, not only was Jenkins dismissed Friday, but so was LaRoche, who hired several player development coaches.

Now, on to the roster. In addition to numerous injuries, the Grizzlies have had some off-court issues with Morant over the years. The team had mitigated Morant's absence thanks to its impressive depth and, until Friday, Jenkins' work on the sidelines.

Now, on to the roster. In addition to numerous injuries, the Grizzlies have had a series of off-court issues with Morant over the years. The team had mitigated Morant's absence thanks to its other two stars, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, its impressive depth and, until Friday, Jenkins' work on the sidelines.

Who could get the job?

Although he has only an interim tag, the expectation around the league is that Iisalo will get a long look. The Grizzlies brought him from Europe last offseason and put him on Jenkins' staff, and he will get a chance to show what he can do in the playoffs. If Iisalo is not the choice, it's hard to know Memphis' next step.


Sacramento Kings

  • 2024-25 record: 36-39 (No. 10 in West)

  • Previous coach: Mike Brown (fired in December; assistant Doug Christie takes over on interim basis)

  • Lead executive: Monte McNair (hired in 2020)

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Positive: Veteran, ready-to-win talent

It's hard to project Sacramento winning a title with its roster. But a coach taking over a team with Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk has a chance to be competitive in each game. That gives the Kings' vacancy a boost, given the typical level of talent at open jobs.

With all of those players under team control for at least a couple of more seasons, there is some runway for them to play together, adding to the appeal for a new coach.

Negatives: Small market, decades of instability

Here's all you need to know about the Kings: Since moving to Sacramento in 1984, two coaches have had at least one full season with a winning record: Rick Adelman, who did it for eight straight seasons from 1999 to 2006, and Mike Brown the past two seasons. Sacramento has made the playoffs in three of the 33 seasons not coached by Adelman, underscoring the difficulty of this job.

The departure of assistant general manager Wes Wilcox, who took the GM job for the Utah Utes earlier this month, also points to potential further destabilization this offseason, and at least the possibility of more changes in the Kings' front office. Another drawback is the club's unwillingness to pay into the luxury tax, something owner Vivek Ranadive has avoided.

Who could get the job?

Christie has long-standing ties to the organization, going back to being a starter on those iconic teams of the early 2000s under Adelman. Christie has done a solid job the past few months since taking over for Brown. Christie will likely get a look to remain as coach, but Ranadive has repeatedly hired big names over the past decade -- including George Karl, Dave Joerger, Luke Walton and Brown -- so there's certainly a chance he pursues a bigger name this summer.

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