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This year\u2019s NBA Finals could present a number of intriguing matchups, including one that would haunt Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadiv\u00e9.<\/p>\n
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have already punched their tickets to the Western Conference finals. The New York Knicks will face the Detroit Pistons or Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.<\/p>\n
There is one specific matchup that would be a nightmare for Ranadiv\u00e9. Watching former Kings coach Mike Brown lead the Knicks into the NBA Finals against former Kings point guard De\u2019Aaron Fox and the Spurs would underscore Sacramento\u2019s ineptitude for the world to see on the game\u2019s grandest stage.<\/p>\n
Little more than a year has passed since the Kings parted ways with Brown and Fox, and already they have gone on to reach far greater heights with other organizations. Brown is in his first season as head coach of the Knicks after being fired by the Kings in December 2024. Fox is in his first full season with the Spurs after being traded to San Antonio in February 2025.<\/p>\n
San Antonio will face Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Monday. The Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs before beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round.<\/p>\n
New York beat the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks are awaiting the winner of the East\u2019s other second-round series between the Pistons and Cavaliers, who were scheduled to play a decisive Game 7 on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Sacramento, the Kings missed the playoffs for the 19th time in 20 years. They went 22-60 after posting three consecutive 40-win seasons, a rare run of success for a team that hadn\u2019t won 40 games since 2005-06.<\/p>\n
Ranadiv\u00e9 purchased the Kings in 2013. They have gone through four general managers and six head coaches while posting a 436-610 record in 13 seasons under Ranadive\u2019s stewardship.<\/p>\n
Brown became the first unanimous winner of the NBA Coach of the Year award in his first season with the Kings in 2022-23. Sacramento won 48 games to secure the No. 3 seed in the West, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons.<\/p>\n
Brown was fired after the Kings went 13-18 to start the 2024-25 season. He posted a 195-107 (.549) record in two-plus seasons with the Kings. The only other coach in the Sacramento era to post a winning record was Rick Adelman, who went 395-229 (.633) from 1999-2006.<\/p>\n
Fox started his career in Sacramento after coming out of Kentucky as the fifth pick in the 2017 NBA draft. His departure was closely tied to Brown\u2019s firing after he told the organization he didn\u2019t want to go through another coaching change.<\/p>\n
Fox averaged 21.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals over eight seasons in Sacramento. He was named an All-Star, an All-NBA Third Team selection and the Clutch Player of the Year in 2022-23. He averaged a career-high 26.6 points per game in 2023-24.<\/p>\n
The Kings sent Fox to San Antonio as part of a three-team trade that brought Zach LaVine to Sacramento. Now, the Kings are hoping to shed LaVine\u2019s $49 million salary while Fox tries to lead the Spurs to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2013-14 and Brown tries to lead the Knicks to the finals for the first time since 1998-99.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 11:52 AM.<\/p>\n
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