Kings finalize contracts with three assistant coaches

The Kings have finalized contracts with Doug Christie, Jay Triano and Luke Loucks to be assistant coaches under Mike Brown, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. All three hires were reported last month by veteran writer Marc Stein and Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, but the deals weren’t completed until Friday, sources told Anderson.

Christie, 52, played 15 seasons in the NBA, including a five-year run with the Kings. He’s the lone holdover from Luke Walton‘s staff in 2021-22, Christie’s first season as an NBA assistant, and Stein reported that retaining Christie was a priority for Sacramento’s brass.

Triano, 63, is the former head coach of the Raptors and Suns. He also coached the Canadian national team from 1998-2004 and most recently served as an assistant in Charlotte under James Borrego, who was fired in April.

Loucks, 32, played college ball for Florida State prior to making several international stops. During the 2021-22 season, he worked for Phoenix in basketball strategy and personnel evaluation, and he previously worked with Brown in Golden State and with the Nigerian National Team.

Sacramento announced on May 18 that former Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez will be Brown’s associate head coach, so the Kings have now finalized deals with four coaches on Brown’s staff.