Rumors continue to swirl around the future of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton. If recent rumblings are to be believed, it is practically a certainty that Walton will be let go after the 2018-19 NBA season and now the question is who will replace him.
A couple names have been mentioned pretty frequently for a while now as former Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue being brought up as potential replacements.
The Lakers have also been rumored to be interested in Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle.
Who would eventually land the job should it become open remains a mystery, but according to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the name mentioned most often is Lue:
Who, then, will the Lakers hire? The name most frequently cited in league coaching circles is the very available Tyronn Lue.
Lue undoubtedly has experience with both the Lakers and LeBron James. He spent the first three seasons of his playing career with the Lakers and he took over as head coach of the Cavaliers in the middle of the 2015-16 season. He would lead them to a championship in that first season and compile an overall record of 128-83 before being fired at the beginning of this season following an 0-6 start.
One important factor for Lue should he be brought in as the next Lakers coach is his experience in dealing with the pressure that comes with coaching James. In his two full seasons at the helm in Cleveland, they had a top-five offense and that would be a welcome change for a Lakers team that has struggled at times creating offense.
Of course, this all remains contingent on the Lakers letting Walton go at the end of the season which, while expected, is not a guarantee. Should it happen, however, Lue will definitely be a name to watch.