After an abysmal season in Los Angeles where expectations were high with the arrival of LeBron James, the Lakers and head coach Luke Walton have decided to mutually part ways. Rumors of Walton's demise were plentiful this season as it was believed that the players, LeBron included, weren't meshing with the way he was running the team. The Lakers were in fourth place at Christmas but eventually tanked all the way to 10th in the Western Conference, ultimately forcing them to miss the playoffs.
Walton's future with the team was further put into question on Tuesday night when Magic Johnson announced his resignation from the team. Magic revealed that he had been given permission to fire Walton but ultimately quit before he could get the chance. Today, both Walton and general manager Rob Pelinka issued a statement via the team's website.
"We would like to thank Luke for his dedicated service over the last three years," said Pelinka. "We wish Luke and his family the best of luck moving forward."
"I want to thank Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for giving me the opportunity to coach the Lakers," said Walton. "This franchise and the city will always be special to me and my family."
It's not all bad news for Walton though. As it stands, it looks like he could be the frontrunner for the vacant head coaching job in Sacramento.