The Sacramento Kings coaching search didn't last long.
Two days after the team announced it had relieved Dave Joerger of his head coaching duties, reports surfaced that an agreement is in place for Luke Walton to become the Kings next head coach.
The Kings and Luke Walton have agreed to terms for him to be the next coach, a source tells @TheAthleticNBA. The length of his deal will be in line with that of Kings GM Vlade Divac, running through the 2022-23 season.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 13, 2019
These reports came just a day after the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Walton would not be returning as head coach for the 2019-20 season.
Walton spent three seasons as head coach of the Lakers, amassing a record of 98-148. Under Walton, the Lakers improved each season, finishing with a record of 37-45 in its injury-riddled 2018-19 campaign.
Prior to joining the Lakers, Walton spent two seasons as an assistant coach on Steve Kerr's staff with Golden State, winning an NBA title in 2015. The next season, Walton served as the Warriors interim head coach for 43 games while Kerr recovered from a back procedure; Walton led the team to a 39-4 record.
The Kings showed much growth and improvement in the 2018-19 season, finishing the season with a record of 39-43, a 12-game improvement from the year before.
Walton stands to inherit a young roster that features the likes of De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, Harry Giles and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
