The Sacramento Kings wasted no time after firing Mike Brown, jumping into a shootaround in Los Angeles on Saturday to prep for their game against the Lakers. It’s been a whirlwind—Friday, the team announced Brown’s dismissal, and by the next morning, interim head coach Doug Christie was already running the show.

They’re 13-18 and sitting 12th in the Western Conference—far from where they hoped to be. And yeah, it’s a bit shocking when you remember Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year just last to last season. That’s not some minor achievement! Plus, he had a 107-88 record during his time in Sacramento and even signed a multi-year extension over the summer.

But one thing that fans awaited was a reaction from De’Aaron Fox. And the Sactown star has finally opened up about Mike Brown’s firing when asked if he felt any “guilt” over it. His answer? Honest and straight to the point, as always. “Doug addressed us before we, uh, took off. And after that, the point where I was normal, I went to sleep.”

“Obviously we all know the job that we have, you can be traded at any point, released, cut, fired, whatever it may be. I wouldn’t use the word ‘guilt.’ That’s the nature of the job that we have,” Fox explained, addressing the situation with a calm perspective.

“Obviously him signing his extension this summer, we thought we would be together a whole lot longer.” It’s clear he feels the weight of the decision, initially admitting the situation was “surprising” but isn’t dwelling on partaking in the blame game in whatever way.

Fox also reminded everyone of the business side of the league, saying, “But that’s the decision that they made. At the end of the day too, he’s still getting paid.” You’ve got to admit, he’s not wrong. The guaranteed contracts soften the blow in situations like this.

The Kings made waves by firing Mike Brown over the phone, right after he had wrapped up practice with the team on Friday. Malik Monk didn’t even hear about it directly—he found out on X, just like the rest of us! Reflecting on the sudden news, Monk admitted, “Um, shocked, just like everybody else, I guess. But it’s the NBA. Anything can happen. So next man up, I guess.”

Domantas Sabonis talked about the “vibes” around the team. “I got here, went right onto the court. We’re all focused on winning the game, you know?” Sabonis admitted the team hasn’t been at its best lately but stressed the need to step up.

“We obviously know we haven’t been performing at our best. And we have to do a better job, you know? I mean, as one of the leaders of the team, gotta make sure that happens, we gotta win all the games we can.”

Let’s see how the Kings fare under the new interim HC Doug Christie. Before that, let us address a large narrative from the past.

No hard feelings among Mike Brown and De’Aaron Fox?

The Kings let Mike Brown go just a day after he publicly called out Fox for a costly mistake in their 114-113 loss to the Pistons. Fox had fouled Jaden Ivey on a potential four-point play with only three seconds left, a move that left the head coach visibly frustrated. “You should be hugged up to your man at the 3-point line,” Brown said on December 26.

“Everybody should, and why there was a closeout by Fox, I’m not sure. I got to go back and watch the tape. But for sure 100% we told our guys, can’t give up a 3, can’t give up a 3, can’t give up a 3, stay on the high side, stay on the high side.”

What makes it even more surreal? Brown was seen chatting with Fox during practice just minutes before the firing! Cameras caught them talking for over a minute, with Brown and another coach patting Fox on the back and chest. Whatever the topic, it was clear emotions were running high.

This wasn’t an isolated moment, though.

Sacramento has dropped 12 of its last 17 games, including a league-high 13 clutch-time losses. They’re 12th in the West, three games behind the Warriors for the final play-in spot. Well, it’s early in the season, but Mike Brown’s struggles to find answers made his firing seem inevitable. And now, just like that, the Kings are moving on! Drop your views below.