Walton out as Lakers coach after three losing seasons
LOS ANGELES — Luke Walton is out as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after three losing seasons.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka announced Walton’s departure Friday, three days after the abrupt resignation of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. Pelinka called Walton leaving a mutual decision.
The former Lakers forward went 98-148 after getting his first permanent head coaching job with the 16time NBA champions. The former Golden State assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.
Walton leaves three days after the Lakers’ final game of their 37-45 season was upstaged by the shocking pregame resignation of Johnson, who inherited Walton when he took over the Lakers’ front office in February 2017. Johnson attributed his decision in part to his desire and reluctance to fire Walton, who is close to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.
A potential power struggle instead ended with both men out of their jobs after this wild week. Pelinka, who was hired along with Johnson, announced the move in a possible sign of the increased organizational power of Kobe Bryant’s former agent.
“I want to thank Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for giving me the opportunity to coach the Lakers,” Walton said in a statement issued by the Lakers. “This franchise and the city will always be special to me and my family.”
Walton joined the Lakers with fanfare in 2016 after his successful tenure alongside coach Steve Kerr with the powerhouse Warriors. Walton stepped in as Golden State’s interim coach when Kerr was sidelined by health issues to start the 2015-16 season, and he led the Warriors to a 24-0 start and a 39-4 record before Kerr returned to the bench.
“They’re losing one of the best human beings in the NBA. They’re losing a guy who knows the game as well as anybody I’ve ever met,” Kerr said Friday in Oakland. “They’re losing somebody who players believe in, players want to play for. But again, he was dependent on circumstances, just like all of us are. I feel for Luke.”
The Lakers improved their record in each of Walton’s three seasons, but never finished higher than third place in the Pacific Division. The current Lakers were the franchise’s most successful team since their playoff drought began in 2013, but it wasn’t enough to save Walton’s job.
“I think Luke did a hell of a job with what he had, the cards he was dealt,” point guard Rajon Rondo said. “The guys fought every night.”
James and the Lakers’ players have been uniformly supportive of Walton, who managed to keep his team playing hard and harmoniously under the L.A. microscope despite multiple major injuries and distractions. Walton just couldn’t coax enough wins out of the Lakers.
The Lakers’ next coach will be their sixth since the retirement of Phil Jackson in 2011.
Ex-Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, the former Lakers guard, already has been frequently mentioned as a potential replacement for Walton due to his obvious ties to James. Philadelphia assistant Monty Williams, the well-regarded former New Orleans head coach, also is expected to be a candidate.