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George Karl, Randy Wittman are out after coaching changes in Sacramento, Washington

George Karl looks on as the Sacramento Kings play the New York Knicks on March 20.

George Karl looks on as the Sacramento Kings play the New York Knicks on March 20.

(Seth Wenig / Associated Press)
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The Sacramento Kings fired coach George Karl on Thursday after his first full season with the team, setting the stage for the team to hire its ninth coach since last making the playoffs in 2006.

General Manager Vlade Divac announced the move a day after the Kings wrapped up another disappointing season with a 33-49 record. Karl was given a four-year contract when he was hired in February 2015 to replace Tyrone Corbin but never worked out and finished with a 44-68 mark.

Karl was unable to improve the team’s defense, had frequent run-ins with star center DeMarcus Cousins and faced questions about his status as far back as November. His fate was officially determined Thursday, leaving the Kings to search for a new coach to lead them into their new downtown arena slated to open next season.

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“After evaluating the team’s performance this season, I determined it was necessary to move forward with a new voice from the head coaching position,” Divac said in a statement. “I have a great deal of respect and admiration for George and his accomplishments throughout his nearly 30 years in the NBA. On behalf of everyone in the Kings organization, I thank him for the contributions made during his time in Sacramento and wish him good fortune in the future.”

Karl is the eighth coach in Sacramento since the team last went to the playoffs in 2006 under Rick Adelman. Sacramento and Minnesota are the only teams that haven’t been to the playoffs in that span and only the Timberwolves have more losses than the Kings over the past 10 seasons.

Randy Wittman reacts during Washington's game against Charlotte on April 10.

Randy Wittman reacts during Washington’s game against Charlotte on April 10.

(Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

Also getting the ax was Randy Wittman, who was let go as coach of the Washington Wizards after failing to reach the playoffs this season.

The team announced Thursday that it would not pick up its option on Wittman’s contract.

Wittman was informed of the news Wednesday night, when the Wizards’ season ended with a 109-98 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. With a team built around All-Star point guard John Wall and a roster set up to make a bid for Kevin Durant as a free agent this off-season, Washington finished 41-41 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards missed out on the playoffs after reaching the second round each of the past two seasons.

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“There were high internal and external expectations for this team coming into this season, based on the momentum we had generated over the previous two years,” Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said. “Unfortunately, the inconsistency of the team’s performance and effort, particularly on our home court, did not allow us to meet those expectations and we decided a coaching change was needed.”

In all, Wittman went 178-199 in 4 1/2 seasons with the Wizards, a winning percentage of .472. That lifted his career winning percentage as an NBA coach to .406.

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