The Los Angeles Lakers would reportedly fire Byron Scott if presented with the opportunity to hire Luke Walton as coach.
Stephen A. Smith, speaking to ESPN LA’s Max & Marcellus show, said that the Lakers would get rid of Scott if it meant they could get Walton.
“I’m hearing [Scott]’s gone if Luke Walton wants to come in and take the job next season,” Smith said. “That if he wants to do that, that obviously they would move beyond the Byron Scott era and bring in Luke Walton.”
Smith did say, however, that Walton may prefer to find a better opportunity elsewhere.
“Luke Walton, however, as much as he loves the Lakers and California, may not find that to be an attractive job unless they position themselves to acquire somebody like a Ben Simmons,” said Smith. It’s worth noting that the Lakers’ first round pick would go to Philadelphia if it falls out of the top three.
Walton to the Lakers makes sense as a rumor, and this isn’t the first time we’ve heard it. His success in an interim role with Golden State has turned heads, and word is the Knicks want him too. However, Walton reportedly won’t leave the Warriors until the offseason, when he’ll likely have his pick of a number of available jobs to choose from.
