NBA News: Lakers Granted Permission To Interview Warriors’ Luke Walton
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors have officially advanced to the second round of the playoffs beating the Houston Rockets with relative ease in five games. Although Stephen Curry remains on the sidelines with a sprained MCL in his right knee, the Warriors continue to cruise and could be on their way to second straight NBA title.
As the Warriors take a step closer to the NBA Finals, one of the key members of Steve Kerr’s coaching staff has become a hot commodity. Luke Walton is drawing interest from teams with coaching vacancies with the Los Angeles Lakers being the favorite to lure him away from the Bay Area.
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Lakers have been given permission from the Warriors to interview Walton:
The Golden State Warriors have granted permission to the Los Angeles Lakers to interview Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton for their coaching vacancy.
At this point, it seems that it would take an incredible sales pitch from a team to convince Walton to leave Oakland and the ideal situation he has sitting next to Kerr on the Warriors’ bench. Golden State appears to be on the verge of building a dynasty with a core of talented young players in their prime.
The Lakers, however, are going in the opposite direction. The once-dominant franchise is coming off the worst season in the team’s history. Los Angeles won a franchise-low 17 wins last season and said goodbye to the face of the team in Kobe Bryant.
Although it will be an uphill battle for Walton, the former Laker will never have a better opportunity to show his coaching ability. The Lakers may be considered one of the worst teams in the league right now, but have some promising young players with D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson leading the way.
Along with three players with a potentially bright future, the Lakers may be able to grab Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram in the upcoming NBA Draft if able to keep their pick. Los Angeles could be a force in free agency as well meaning Walton may have a much-improved roster.
Other teams that have shown interest in Walton include the Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks and Rockets.
