The Los Angeles Lakers are in need of a new head coach with Frank Vogel getting the boot after a disappointing season for things that mostly were not his fault. Rob Pelinka and co. are now looking for someone who can pilot the ship moving forward to return the team back to title contention.
There have been some interesting names connected to the Lakers thus far as well as a sleeper candidate that already has ties with the Lakers. Most of the head coaches that have been tied to the Lakers are merely just smoke and mirrors and that is especially the case with two candidates in particular.
Both Nick Nurse and Mark Jackson have been tied to the Lakers’ coaching vacancy this offseason. Nurse, despite currently being the head coach of the Toronto Raptors, was one of the first names connected to LA. Jackson, meanwhile, is someone who LeBron James is reportedly in favor of hiring.
One may wonder what the common denominator between these two are, especially with Nurse being the active head coach of another franchise and Jackson not having coached a team for seven years. It really is quite simple.
Nick Nurse and Mark Jackson have been connected to the Lakers because they are Klutch Sports clients.
Both Nurse and Jackson are Klutch Sports clients and that is exactly the reason why we have heard their names connected to the team during its coaching search.
We have to think about who is giving this information to reporters. The Lakers are not going to outright go to a reporter and tell them who they are considering, and while it is possible that there is a source within the organization, it is quite obvious that is not the case with these two.
This is absolutely a case of someone within Klutch “leaking” to the media that the Lakers have potential interest in these two. That does not mean that the Lakers don’t have interest, but it is clear that this is more about Klutch than it is the Lakers.
This gives both Nurse and Jackson leverage in their respective situations. Nurse has two more years left on his deal and can leverage this potential “interest” (even if it won’t ever happen) to secure more years or more money on his deal.
Meanwhile, for Jackson, the fact that he has been tied to LA and has gotten the blessing of LeBron James is solely meant to raise his stock. Don’t believe me? Do you think it is a coincidence that he interviewed for the Sacramento Kings job shortly after this was reported?
While hiring Nurse is nearly impossible, this does not mean that LA won’t hire Mark Jackson. However, it is quite clear what is going on here, and thus far, it seems to be working.