As the Lakers’ tumultuous season continues spiraling in a downward direction, the rumblings of a potential head coaching replacement continue to grow.
Luke Walton has served as head coach of Lakers since 2016. Currently in his second season with the franchise, Walton, 37, is reportedly starting to lose trust from the front office. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it’s becoming evident the Lakers don’t have ‘unconditional support’ for Walton as head coach.
“Whatever you want to say about LaVar Ball, he has smoked out the fact that the Lakers do not support Luke Walton. And that is now crystal clear,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported.
“There are now guys out there wondering openly to me – executives, coaching agents – who the Lakers are going to hire as their next coach. They do not have unconditional support for Luke (Walton).”
Should the Lakers choose to move on from Luke Walton during or after the season, one name in particular has emerged as an early potential candidate.
“I got executives in my ear, I got agents in my ear, saying, ‘Oh yeah. They’re probably going to hire David Fizdale,'” Windhorst said.
Despite the latest scuttle involving the future of the Lakers coach position, Lakers owner and team president Jeanie Buss continues to echo the sentiments from earlier this month. Luke Walton isn’t going anywhere.
On my way to #Memphis for #Lakers game. Dinner with Rob and Luke tomorrow night. Barbecue!! @Lakers #InLukeWeTrust pic.twitter.com/cDIAHSn80a
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) January 13, 2018
The Lakers currently hold a 14-27 record and rank 13th in the Western Conference. They own the league’s fifth-worst record to date.
