Kings rumors: Former Lakers guard reports Mike Brown suggested DeMar DeRozan to come off the bench

The Sacramento Kings fired Mike Brown after a poor start to the 2024-25 season. While fans are still soaking up the news, former LA Lakers guard Lou Williams revealed a shocking revelation about the sack on "Run It Back."

Williams, in an episode of the show posted on X on Monday, claimed that the former NBA Coach of the Year was let go due to issues with player roles. He specifically claimed that Brown planned to bring six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan from the bench.

"I was even hearing whispers that there was a situation where he might have asked, you know, or suggested that even DeMar DeRozan come off the bench, and those things proved to be severe missteps in an already challenging season," Williams said. "Where it put the front office in a position where they had to side with either the All-Star talent they had or depart ways with their former Coach of the Year who had a brand-new three-year extension."

"Ultimately, they chose to go with the players, and that made Mike Brown a casualty of that. Could they have handled it differently the way that he was fired? That's not my call to make," he added.

Brown was fired in the midst of a five-game losing streak. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Brown was fired over the phone on his way to the team plane bound for Los Angeles.

This season was meant to be an improvement for the Kings. The signing of DeRozan was intended to bring a much-needed offensive threat to Sacramento, adding to the core of De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Kegan Murray.

Brown signed a three-year contract with the Kings through 2027. Prior to coaching the Kings, he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers.

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De'Aaron Fox responds to a reported rift between him and coach Mike Brown

Mike Brown getting sacked by the Sacramento Kings unearthed lots of speculation. One was an alleged rift between the coach and star De'Aaron Fox.

Fox responded to a post made by a fan account, NBACentral, on X.

"There was never any push back about anything. This narrative of us butting heads or me going to management saying anything is bulls**t. So you can run with that if you want to," Fox wrote.

The Kings now have to move on, with interim coach Doug Christie losing his first game 122-132 to the Lakers. The Kings play the Dallas Mavericks for their last game of the year on Monday.