The Sacramento Kings will bring head coach Luke Walton back for a third season, sources affirmed to ESPN.
The Kings expanded their record-tying 15-year playoff drought after a second sequential 31-41 season under Walton, who has two years left on his deal.
Sacramento is amidst a multiyear reconstructing process around De’Aaron Fox, first-round pick Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, and guaranteed Walton all through the season it would show restraint toward the team’s developing agonies.
In the two years since supplanting Dave Joerger, Walton has seen his team get off to urging begins just to fade, tormented by the standard issues of poor defensive play and conflicting offense.
Not every one of the fault falls on Walton’s shoulders; just like the case last season, wounds assumed a significant part in Sacramento’s battles. Fox missed the last 12 games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Forward Marvin Bagley III missed 22 games with a broken bone in his left hand and four more with a groin injury.
Haliburton’s season finished rashly because of a left knee injury, and Harrison Barnes passed on the last eight games of the season with a left adductor issue.
There are indications of expectation for next season, with Haliburton playing his way into Rookie of the Year thought and Fox taking another leap closely following his five-year, $163 million extension.
Walton is the team’s 10th coach since the Kings last made the playoffs in Rick Adelman’s final season in 2005-06. He’s additionally the 6th coach proprietor Vivek Ranadive has recruited since purchasing the team in 2013.
NBC Sports Bay Area initially announced that Walton would return next season.
