Luke Walton "Clear Front-Runner" For Kings Head Coaching Job If Fired By Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton could be fired any day now that the regular season has officially come to an end, but it doesn't look like he'll be out of a job for long if that's the case.
According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Walton is the "clear front-runner" for the vacant Sacramento Kings head coaching job if he is available. Walton has also drawn interest from the Phoenix Suns, according to reports.
Walton's Lakers went 37-45 this season and rumors of a coaching change persisted throughout the disappointing year.
In fact, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Walton and his staff had "fully expected to be fired" after the final regular season game on Tuesday, but Magic Johnson's abrupt resignation seems to have put everything on pause. At least, for now.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings went from 27 to 39 wins this year en route to a ninth place finish in the Western Conference and their best record in 13 seasons. Apparently, that wasn't good enough to save Dave Joerger's job.
“After evaluating the season, I determined that we need to move in a different direction in order to take us to the next level,” Kings general manager Vlade Divac said. “On behalf of the entire Kings organization, I want to thank Dave for his contributions to our team and I wish him all the best.”
In his three seasons with the Kings, Joerger went 98-148.