After a horrific season for the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s not a surprise that the Lakers decided to part ways with head coach Luke Walton. What may come aa surprise, besides when Magic Johnson resigned, is the candidate the Lakers have in mind for the vacant spot.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers favorite candidate for the job is LeBron James’ former coach Tyronn Lue.
Lue won the championship with Lebron and the Cavaliers in 2016 and stayed for another two seasons until he was fired after a 0-6 start in the beginning of the 2018 season.
It makes sense why Lakers would hire a coach LeBron can control. Lue said back in 2016 that one time he tried to sit James for a quick stretch and LeBron refused and came out. LeBron already tried to have Magic and the Lakers trade the whole team for one player and since that didn’t work, they have to find another way to make the “king” happy again.
There are also rumors that Irving is to meet with Lakers during free agency. Will Kyrie Irving join his former teammate and coach in the west?
Lakers are also looking to Monty Williams, 76ers assistant coach, as a possible candidate.
Depending on which sportsbook you’re looking at — and here is a list of betting sites to peruse — there is a different favorite to be the next head coach of the LA Lakers. BetOnline had Mark Jackson and Juwan Howard as the favorite to replace Luke Walton, while Bovada gave the edge to former Cavs coach Ty Lue. Given that Lue has had some success with LeBron in the past, he is the safer option. Kidd was a trainwreck in Milwaukee and Howard (a Heat assistant) has no head-coaching experience.
See how Twitter is reacting to the thought of Lue and James’ reuniting in L.A.