Only two days after relieving former head coach Dave Joerger of his duties, general manager Vlade Divac and the Sacramento Kings have already found his replacement in another recently laid off coach.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Kings have agreed to a deal with former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton. The multi-year deal will reportedly last through 2022-2023.
Update: Source tells @TheAthleticNBA that Kings GM Vlade Divac and Luke Walton have already met today and are in the late stages of finalizing a multi-year deal.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 13, 2019
The Kings and Luke Walton have agreed to terms for him to be the next coach, a source tells @TheAthleticNBA. The length of his deal will be in line with that of Kings GM Vlade Divac, running through the 2022-23 season.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 13, 2019
Luke Walton met with Divac this morning before the sides were able to agree to terms on a long-term deal. Of course, Walton was just fired as the head coach of the Lakers after leading the club to a 37-45 record in his third year at the helm.
The Kings were much improved this year under Dave Joerger but Divac wanted to take the franchise in another direction despite enjoying their most successful season since 2006. With an excellent nucleus of budding young talent, the Kings have a bright future ahead and hopefully Walton is able to spearhead their exciting new era.
