The Los Angeles Lakers will be looking for a new head coach if they decide to fire Luke Walton after a disappointing season, and longtime Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is reportedly one name they have on their list of potential replacements. Mark Cuban finds that hilarious.
In his most recent NBA newsletter, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the Lakers are “big fans” of Carlisle. Mike Fisher of 247 Sports asked Cuban about that report on Wednesday, and the Mavericks owner said a lot without saying much at all.
“LOL” he replied.
Fisher followed up by asking if Cuban cared to elaborate.
“Nope,” Cuban said. “LOL. That’s my quote.”
There are a number of reasons it is highly unlikely Carlisle would leave Dallas for the Lakers, the most obvious of which is that he’s in a better situation currently than he would be in in LA. Sure, the thought of working with LeBron James is appealing to most coaches, but the Mavs have a bright future despite winning just 29 games thus far this season.
Dallas acquired Kristaps Porzingis in a midseason trade with the New York Knicks, and rookie guard Luka Doncic looks like he’s going to be a perennial All-Star. Carlisle already won one title with the Mavericks back in 2011, and Cuban reportedly added a year onto his contract last offseason to extend it through 2023.
Carlisle is one of many big names we have already heard linked to the Lakers and more that are sure to come, but it makes sense that Cuban isn’t concerned about him leaving. There are far more reasons for Carlisle to stay in Dallas than there are for him to leave.
