The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have made a decision on head coach Byron Scott’s future with the team.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the team has parted ways with Scott after two seasons in Los Angeles:
The Los Angeles Lakers have fired coach Byron Scott, league sources tell @TheVertical
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) April 25, 2016
Once the 2015-16 NBA season came to an end for the Lakers, all eyes were on the team’s front office and whether they would be making a change at head coach. Although Scott was thought to be on the hot seat, multiple reports surfaced about him being safe for at least one more season in Los Angeles.
Obviously, the Lakers brass had other plans, and Scott is once again unemployed after a disappointing stint with an NBA team. Scott was under contract for two more years with the final year of his deal being a team option.
Scott finished his coaching stint with the Lakers with a record of 38-126 in two seasons. The 2015-16 campaign ended with the worst record in franchise history at 17-65 this season topping the previous lowest wins mark from last year at 21.
The real question from here on out is what do the Lakers do with the top two coaching candidates already having found new jobs. Tom Thibodeau decided he wasn’t going to wait for the Lakers to make a decision and chose to become team president and head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks took wasn’t willing to wait either with the Washington Wizards ready to give him a five-year deal worth $35 million.
The name that will consistently be mentioned in the coming weeks will be Luke Walton. The former Lakers forward is currently on Steve Kerr’s coaching staff with the Golden State Warriors but has been someone linked to the Lakers and other potential coaching jobs around the league all season long.
Along with Walton, there’re a few other notable coaching candidates that could be linked to the Lakers moving forward. Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and UConn’s Kevin Ollie may be candidates the team reaches out to in the coming days.