Kings agree to hire Westphal as next head coach

The Sacramento Kings reached an agreement in principle with Paul Westphal late Tuesday to be their fourth new coach in just over three years. A league source told TNT analyst David Aldridge that Westphal agreed to a two-year deal worth a little more than $3 million, with an option for a third year at $2 million.

The Kings chose Westphal over Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis, who was thought to be the front runner for the job, and Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau.

But Westphal, whose last NBA job came as a Mavericks assistant coach in 2007-08, won Sacramento general manager Geoff Petrie over.

"I think he's terrific," Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said of Westphal by telephone late Tuesday. "He came highly recommended."

Westphal, a longtime NBA player and coach, went 267-159 during parts of seven seasons leading the Phoenix Suns and Seattle SuperSonics. He replaces interim coach Kenny Natt after the Kings finished 17-65, the worst record in the NBA and in franchise history.

"We set some parameters at the start of this coaching search to look for a successful, experienced leader, and Paul certainly meets those qualifications," said Petrie. "He has a wealth of experience in the NBA as both a coach and player."

It was curious that the Kings, according to a source, wanted Rambis to decide whether to take the job now, while the Lakers were in the midst of The Finals. Westphal had already agreed to the parameters of the deal, but Rambis was holding out for a higher salary than the $1.5 million in the first year of the deal, which will make Westphal the lowest-paid head coach in the league.

But Maloof said that the Kings were impressed not only by Westphal, but by the number of different people that gave him strong recommendations, including Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former Suns player Kevin Johnson, now the mayor of Sacramento.

"He's an offensive genius, I think," Maloof said. "I think what he'll do is hire an assistant who's super on defense ...

"He'll help stabilize things and give us a roadmap, give us a system. We've been going in too many different directions. We feel comfortable with his experience and his structure."

Westphal is Sacramento's latest attempt to replace Rick Adelman, who was fired by owners Joe and Gavin Maloof in 2006 after eight straight playoff appearances and winning seasons.

The Kings fired Eric Musselman in 2007 after one tumultuous season, and NBA coaching newcomer Reggie Theus barely made it into his second campaign before being fired last December. Natt wasn't retained after finishing up a miserable season with Sacramento, which even slipped to the No. 4 draft slot in last month's lottery.

Westphal led the Suns to The Finals in 1993, where they lost to the Bulls in six games. His first three seasons in Phoenix, the Suns never won fewer than 56 games, but he was fired during the 1995-96 season with a 14-19 mark.

During two-plus seasons in Seattle, his Sonics made the playoffs once, and his overall record there was 76-71 before he was let go early in 2000.

He had less success during five subsequent seasons at Pepperdine, where he went 76-72. He dabbled in broadcasting before joining the Mavericks in 2007 and then spent the 2008-09 season as the Mavs' executive vice president of basketball operations.

"I'm really excited," Westphal said in a news release from the Kings. "This is a great opportunity, and I really appreciate the confidence the Maloofs and Geoff Petrie are showing me. I can't wait to get to work."

A former first-round draft pick from Southern California, Westphal played 12 NBA seasons with four teams.

Information from TNT analyst David Aldridge and The Associated Press were used in this report.