Kings Fire Dave Joerger

The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Dave Joerger on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the NBA's 2018-19 season. The Kings exceeded expectations, compiling a 39-43 record—their best mark since 2005-06—but Joerger was still let go with just one year remaining on his contract.

Joerger was fired after three seasons as Sacramento's head coach. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports)

General manager Vlade Divac fired Joerger, who coached the Kings to a 98-148 record across three seasons. Sacramento was in the playoff hunt for much of the season, but stumbled down the stretch and won just nine of its final 25 games after the All-Star break.

"This year was a good season, but I think we could do more, especially after All-Star break," Divac said.

"After the All-Star break, I felt very confident we'd be in the race, and we were in the race," he said. "Unfortunately, we fell short."

Axing Joerger took many by surprise, especially with the franchise seemingly trending in the right direction. They have built a strong, young nucleus led by rising star De'Aaron Fox, leading scorer Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III, who had a terrific rookie campaign. 

With Fox spearheading the offense, the Kings upped their tempo dramatically from a season ago. The Kings averaged 114.2 points per contest, the ninth-best mark in the NBA. It was an increase of 15.4 points from last year when they finished last in the league at 98.8 points per game.

A rejuvenated offensive attack, a 12-win increase from the year prior and the franchise's best overall season in 13 years was evidently not enough to save Joerger's job.

Before his stint in Sacramento, Joerger previously coached the Memphis Grizzlies for three years, reaching the playoffs in each season. Joerger holds an overall record of 245-247 as an NBA head coach.