The Los Angeles Lakers fired Byron Scott as head coach not long after they had given him an endorsement, making the announcement that he would not be back somewhat surprising. But the firing made much more sense when the team hired Luke Walton a week later.
On Friday, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak conceded that they did not pick up Scott’s option in part because they were concerned another team would hire Walton.
Mitch Kupchak concedes the possibility of Luke Walton getting hired elsewhere was a factor in deciding to fire Byron Scott.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 6, 2016
Many teams were hot on Walton — no surprise — as he had led the Warriors to a 39-4 record, including a 24-0 start to the season, while serving as the team’s interim head coach in place of Steve Kerr. The New York Knicks were pursuing Walton, while the Sacramento Kings were also targeting him.
The Lakers knew they had the inside track on Walton if they wanted him, they just had to create the vacancy to make it happen. They did just that to make sure they got the guy they wanted.
