So much for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching vacancy. Just a few short days after firing Byron Scott, the team has reportedly agreed to terms with Luke Walton to be its new head coach:
Lakers have agreed to terms with Luke Walton to be their next head coach, according to team sources.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) April 30, 2016
Walton, currently an assistant for the Golden State Warriors, posted a 39-4 record as the team’s interim head coach when Steve Kerr was laid up following back surgery during the early part of the 2015-16 campaign.
Golden State gave the Lakers permission to interview Walton once its first-round playoff series concluded. That happened on Wednesday, meaning that it didn’t take too long for the Lakers to decide that Walton was their guy.
Walton, 36, played for the Lakers from 2003-2012, earning two NBA titles in the process. He has only three years of assistant coaching experience at any level, but was highly regarded after performing so well in an interim basis for the Warriors.
Much like when the New Orleans Pelicans hired former Warriors Assistant Alvin Gentry last spring, Walton will not join the Lakers until the Warriors playoff run comes to a conclusion.