Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers parted ways with head coach Frank Vogel at the end of the season, there have been a number of names rumored as potential replacements. Chief among those names has been Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, who spent time with the Lakers as an assistant under Mike Brown in the 2011-12 season.
Snyder has been the head coach of the Jazz since 2014 and while he has done an excellent job in turning them into one of the most consistently good teams in the regular season, the playoff success hasn’t been quite there just yet. With only one year remaining on his contract and the Jazz now officially eliminated from the playoffs, questions about his future are coming to the forefront.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Snyder himself is unsure of his coaching future and all possibilities seem to be on the table:
Sources say Snyder has been unsure of what his coaching future might hold all season, and his plan has been to see how things ended and then reassess his own view of it all from there. In terms of what might come next, it appears nearly every scenario is on the table.
He could be back with the Jazz, pursue a coaching job elsewhere or perhaps take a season off to re-energize and spend the kind of time with his family that is so hard to come by these days. In terms of a possible extension, sources say there were no discussions of a new deal during the season.
If Snyder does ultimately part ways with the Jazz, he will be one of the hottest candidates available. The Lakers are clearly interested, but other teams will also throw their hat in the ring as well considering the excellent job he did in Utah in his first NBA gig.
Whether he holds the same interest in coaching the Lakers, however, is unclear as the way the franchise handled Vogel’s exit reportedly didn’t sit too well with Snyder and other coaching candidates. But if the Lakers can convince him that coaching LeBron James and Anthony Davis is too good an opportunity to pass up, perhaps he could be manning the sidelines for the Lakers next season.
Quin Snyder ‘less interested’ in Lakers job following Frank Vogel exit
Snyder has been mentioned along with the likes of Doc Rivers, Nick Nurse and Mike Brown as potential Lakers head coaching candidates from the beginning. But the way the team handled Frank Vogel’s exit did not sit well.
News of the Lakers parting ways with Vogel was coming out before Vogel had even left the court during the Lakers’ regular-season finale. As such, Snyder reportedly became less interested in the Lakers’ job and it remains unclear whether that will ultimately keep him from accepting the position should the Lakers offer it.
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