Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve their head coaching search, as it looks like the organization will be moving toward Tyronn Lue as their next head coach.
There have been plenty of Los Angeles Lakers rumors in recent weeks about their ongoing head coaching search. The organization and Luke Walton parted ways, with Walton quickly joining the Sacramento Kings as their head coach. Today, we may actually be coming to the end of the tunnel.
One of the Lakers main targets in this search, Monty Williams, is now off the board. Williams, who is currently an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers, has reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the Phoenix Suns.
Williams was one of the people the Lakers were pursuing hard for their job, but they will now have to turn their attention elsewhere. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, they seem to have their sights set on someone already.
According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers are expected to now turn their attention to Tyronn Lue as their next head coach. Wojnarowski adds that no offer has been made yet, however.
The expectation is the Lakers will move toward Ty Lue as head coach, but there's been no offer made to him yet, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 3, 2019
This goes along with reports from last week that the Lakers had yet to offer their head coaching position to anyone. They were having meetings with people, but nothing concrete had come of those meetings yet. Lue had a second meeting with the organization at the end of April, so it would seem he is a top candidate for the job with Williams now heading to the desert.
Some people will be disappointed with this hiring if it comes to fruition. The perception that LeBron James is running the organization and has a hand in things would have more ammunition, as Lue is a James guy. Lue was the head coach during the end of James’ latest tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If Lue is indeed the next head coach of the Lakers, he at least experience to the sideline, something the team has lacked in recent years with Walton. Walton didn’t surround himself with experience, instead, he handpicked Arizona alums and people with ties to the Lakers, even holding onto some people from Byron Scott‘s staff.
Lue did the exact opposite in his first head coaching gig with the Cavaliers, having experienced assistants in Jim Boylan and Larry Drew, both of whom had head coaching experience previously.
This is something to definitely keep an eye on in the coming days. If reports were true that the Lakers already have a Magic Johnson replacement lined up, that could be why things are being slow played in terms of a head coaching hire.
If that is not true, and they are going to hire a head coach before filling out their front office, Rob Pelinka looks to be a one-man show running the basketball operations.