Unfortunately, the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers officially decided to terminate his contract due to…
Los Angeles, California, USA Luke Walton’s contract was terminated by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, continuing their purging after a dismal first season after LeBron James’ arrival.
The club said that they had decided to part ways amicably.
Rob Pelinka, general manager, said, “We would like to thank Luke for his dedicated service over the last three years.” “We wish Luke and his family the best of luck moving forward.”
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Former Lakers player Walton had been the team’s coach since 2016, during which time his record was 98-148 win-lost. For the past three seasons, the Lakers have not made it to the playoffs.
“I want to thank Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for giving me the opportunity to coach the Lakers,” Walton said. “This franchise and the city will always be special to me and my family.”
On Tuesday, Magic Johnson unexpectedly resigned from his position as president, throwing the Lakers into even more turmoil. It was reported that Johnson was not happy about the idea of firing Walton.
The future Hall of Famer James joined the Lakers ten months ago, but they finished 37-45 in what was yet another humiliating losing campaign for the once-famous NBA team.
After James’ groin injury during Los Angeles’ Christmas Day victory over the reigning Golden State Warriors, the team was down to twenty-four.
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“They are losing one of the best human beings in the NBA,” Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors, remarked about Walton and his teammates. They are losing a player who is the best player I’ve ever met when it comes to the game. The players want to play for and believe in this person, and they are losing them.
“I’m sorry for Luke. Like all of us, he was dependent on the situation. Every day, amazing people help to stabilize our organization. I consider myself fortunate to be in this role and to have these individuals around me. In the NBA, it doesn’t occur frequently.”
What began as a promising tale of a comeback evolved into a season-long nightmare as the team’s losses and injuries mounted up. Eventually, the team was forced to sit key players, including a healthy James, in an effort to secure a better pick in the summer entry draft. This season, the team had over 25 different starting lineups.
However, even that tactic isn’t guaranteed because tanking got so bad that the NBA had to implement a lottery to decide the order of the top draft picks.
The Lakers will be searching for a new head coach in addition to a high-profile free agent to be James’ right-hand man. When free agency opens on July 1, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and all-star Kevin Durant are the top candidates.
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The Lakers, along with Memphis, Sacramento, and James’s former team, Cleveland, are the fourth NBA team to fire their coach since the regular season ended on Wednesday.
Tyronn Lue, who coached James in Cleveland, and Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams are two of the contenders for the Lakers job.
Josh Hart, a guard for the Lakers, said, “I liked playing for him.” He is a coach for players. It was enjoyable to play for him because he kind of lets you play your game and play with passion. I believe he’ll find employment again rather soon.”
Walton might not be out of work for long because the Sacramento Kings are rumored to be interested in having him interview for a position on their roster.
