The makeover of the Lakers front office continues after Magic Johnson stepped down as president of basketball operations and head coach Luke Walton mutually parted with the team. The Walton news is still fresh but it looks like two candidates for the job will be former Cavaliers head coach Ty Lue and Sixers assistant Monty Williams.
According to a report earlier in the week from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, those two being the main targets.
Former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, Sixers assistant Monty Williams and former Warriors coach Mark Jackson were on the short list of candidates to replace Walton, with Lue and Williams being the primary targets, sources said.
This report came before Walton was officially out of the picture but since that has happened, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has confirmed those two names.
Sixers assistant Monty Williams joins Ty Lue as the central candidates in the Lakers search, league sources tell ESPN. Process is expected to center on them.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 12, 2019
Lakers star LeBron James has obvious ties to Lue as they won a championship together in 2016 with the Cavaliers. Williams, on the other hand, is in his first season with the Sixers but has head coaching experience as he held that role with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from 2010-2015.
With now at least two major holes to fill in the organization and the pressure of a vital summer upcoming the Lakers are at a crossroads that could decide the future of the team for years to come.
