In what can’t be considered too much of a surprise, the Sacramento Kings have opted to fire head coach Luke Walton after less than three seasons in that role.
Walton has led Sacramento to a 6-11 record on the campaign and lost seven of eight before being given his walking papers by the powers that be in California’s capital city.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, associate head coach Alvin Gentry is the leading candidate to replace Luke Walton and become the interim head coach.
Related: Top candidates to replace Luke Walton with the Sacramento Kings
Impact of Sacramento Kings firing Luke Walton
There was a belief around NBA circles that Sacramento should not have brought Walton back after his Kings posted a 31-41 record in his first two seasons in that role. Remember, Walton failed to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the playoffs in any of his three seasons in Southern California after serving as an assistant under Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors. Walton, 41, finished with a 68-93 record in Sacramento.
If Gentry does in fact take over as interim head coach, there’s a decent chance that he will be able to prove himself as a long-term fit with the Kings. He has served as a head coach in five different cities, starting with the Miami Heat in 1994-95. Most recently, Gentry was the New Orleans Pelicans’ head coach from 2015-20.
As for the Sacramento Kings, they have a talented young roster led by a core group of backcourt players in De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Halibutron and rookie Davion Mitchell.