The Los Angeles Lakers have fired head coach Luke Walton following a 37-45 finish to the season. This comes after Magic Johnson resigned his position as President of Basketball Operations. The writing on the wall for Walton came from his unwillingness to change his staff.
The team announced the decision on Friday.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Luke Walton have mutually agreed to part ways.
"We would like to thank Luke for his dedicated service over the last three years," said General Manager Rob Pelinka. "We wish Luke and his family the best of luck moving forward."https://t.co/3cgU3WPgnJ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 12, 2019
General manager Rob Pelinka, whose own role with the organization is still under question, issued the following statement:
“We would like to thank Luke for his dedicated service over the last three years,” said Pelinka. “We wish Luke and his family the best of luck moving forward.”
The decision was termed as the two sides “mutually” agreeing to part ways. Walton had the following to say:
“I want to thank Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for giving me the opportunity to coach the Lakers,” said Walton. “This franchise and the city will always be special to me and my family.”
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojanrowski, Tyronn Lue is expected to be the frontrunner for the open position. Lue coached LeBron James during his final three seasons in Cleveland, appearing in three finals and winning one championship. He parted ways with the Cavaliers earlier this season.
Woj also reports that 76ers assistant Monty Williams will be another focus of the Lakers search for a head coach.
This article will be updated with more to come.
