The Los Angeles Lakers were very fortunate after the 2019-20 season — when they won their 17th championship — to not lose any of the coaching staff that helped to get them there. Despite some of their staff appearing in rumors, the Lakers got through the offseason completely unscathed under head coach Frank Vogel.
As expected, their luck ran out very quickly this offseason. Jason Kidd was a top candidate for several head coaching openings, ultimately winding up with the Dallas Mavericks. Now, L.A. needs to find a new lead assistant, and could possibly be in the market for more assistants given the current coaching climate.
With Vogel not yet agreeing to a contract extension — and Kidd and other new head coaches in the market for assistants — there is reportedly a chance that multiple coaches from the Lakers staff could be poached, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group
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The Lakers have such ambition on their staff, as a healthy coaching ecosystem would call for. But given that the franchise has yet to announce an extension with Vogel, it might make other teams more confident that they can poach his staff, which remained intact last season after the championship. With multiple hires in the last week alone, several people familiar with the coaching market who spoke to SCNG expect the hiring pace will begin to pick up for head coaches and assistants alike in the coming week.
Losing and replacing assistants is not a new phenomenon, especially for teams that have built up a good reputation in the coaching department. However, the Lakers may go from losing zero assistants to an avalanche of losses. Theoretically, signing Vogel to an extension could help ease those losses.
If the Lakers and Vogel agree to an extension quickly, it could be a sign of the team’s staff all being on the same page, making it more difficult for opposing teams to find their person.
If this rumor is accurate, the Lakers have to start acting quickly as it appears that other teams are already starting to do so.
Members of Lakers organization surprised Vogel has not received extension
Despite there being little doubt that Vogel will be back for the 2021-22 season with a brand new contract, there are some within the organization that are surprised a deal hasn’t already happened. It’s unclear exactly what the hold-up is, but there still shouldn’t be any concern about his future with the Lakers.
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