Chaos, confusion and change came to define a tumultuous 2024-25 NBA season for a Sacramento Kings organization that reverted to its dysfunctional ways following a rare period of stability.

The Kings fired a two-time Coach of the Year who helped them end the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons. They traded one of the best players in franchise history. Then they parted ways with a general manager who was named Executive of the Year after transforming the roster in a way that brought winning basketball back to Sacramento for the first time since 2005-06.

New general manager Scott Perry will have to reestablish a sense of direction and trust within the palace walls following a disappointing season that frustrated fans and took a toll on everyone in the organization. The turmoil of the past 12 months was weighing heavily on the minds of players after Sacramento’s season ended with a 120-106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA play-in game Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.

“It’s probably the most I’ve ever been through in my 16-year career,” said Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, a six-time All-Star who recently moved up to 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. “The season we had is a lot. It’s too hard to fathom right now, but I’m pretty sure over the next couple days it will kind of hit, the reality of everything we all went through.”Perry, who is expected to be introduced early this week, faces difficult and momentous decisions in Sacramento with the draft and free agency approaching. He must assemble a front-office staff, choose a head coach and find a sensible way forward in terms of the team’s roster construction.

“I think you just need to find some consistency — players, coaches, a firm direction,” Kings guard Zach LaVine said.

The fate of Christie

Perry’s first decision will determine the fate of Doug Christie, who took over as interim head coach when Mike Brown was fired Dec. 27 after the Kings went 13-18 to start the season.

Christie went 27-24 in 51 games despite dealing with roster changes and injuries that stalled chemistry development with key players in and out of the lineup. The Kings won 10 of their first 12 games under Christie, but they went 16-18 after trading De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and Kevin Huerter to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal that brought LaVine to Sacramento.

Christie appears to be well positioned to keep his job after players expressed their support for him during exit interviews.

“To see him thrown in the position he was thrown in and rally us together when everything was so chaotic, he held his own,” DeRozan said. “First time being in that position with so many uncertainties, he kept us together. That says a lot about the capability he has to bond a team together.”

Kings center Domantas Sabonis agreed.

“He loves the team. He loves the franchise. He loves the city,” Sabonis said. “He’s going to give everything he has every day.”

Future of DeRozan and Sabonis

DeRozan and Sabonis are entering the offseason with questions about their respective futures in Sacramento with both players saying they will be seeking clarity on the organization’s direction this summer.

DeRozan didn’t sugarcoat his words when asked which factors will be weighing on his mind.

“Just the structure and a foundation of a compete level,” DeRozan said. “I think all year we had such an uncertainty of everything. You can’t really operate in any successful environment if you have so much uncertainty, so I think for me, just the uncertainty of what it’s going to be going forward.”

Sabonis wants to know how the Kings plan to proceed under new leadership.