The Lakers announce the release of Walton after 3 seasons

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Walton, who scored 98-148 in three seasons as head coach, thanked franchise and dominant owner Jeanie Buss, a fervent supporter of Walton.

"I wish to thank Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for giving me the opportunity to coach the Lakers," Walton said. "This franchise and the city will always be special for me and my family."

The Lakers had superficial talks Wednesday with Walton representatives, during which they discussed the possibility of moving forward, several sources told ESPN 's Ramona Shelburne. Conversations did not go very far, however, as it was clear to both parties that the Lakers had planned to fire Walton before Johnson retired abruptly on Tuesday night.

When James and his agent, Rich Paul, met Johnson and Pelinka on Saturday, sources told Shelburne that this interview was considered an end-of-season interview for LeBron's season, and that Walton was not present .

Many leaders, coaches, and agents had been speculating on Walton's job security since the start of the season, not only because the Lakers had a reputation for an imperfect list, but also because Walton did not. Had not been hired by Johnson nor Pelinka. Walton was hired in 2016 by Jim Buss, executive vice president of the Lakers era, and Mitch Kupchak, then managing director.

Johnson explained in his decision to resign that he was planning to fire Walton on Wednesday, when the Lakers held their departure interviews, but he did not want to "disappoint" Jeanie Buss and embarrass in his relationship with Walton his own relationship with Buss.

Pursued for trying to merge a team of eclectic veterans with one-year contracts and a core of potential young hopefuls still learning to play around James with a plethora of bullets but not enough shots, Walton had what many thought was the most effective. intimidating work in the NBA.

While Johnson was preaching patience in pre-season knowing that it would take time for the new composition to come into place, Johnson scolded Walton during a meet at just six games of the season. The Hall of Fame leader was unhappy with the team's defense and slow start, but then told the Los Angeles Times and ESPN that Walton would not be fired except in the event of an unexpected event. Johnson, however, said his relations with Walton were good after the incident, which he considered exaggerated.

Walton had the Lakers at 20-14 on Christmas Eve after a dazzling victory at Golden State, and they seemed to be about to meet. But the workings were spectacular when James and Rajon Rondo were injured in the match, sending the Lakers into a desperate situation they could never recover from.

Suspensions, injuries, endless tragedies, inexcusable losses of ground food teams and even a buffet of gaffes on the ground – enough to provide the Internet with ammunition to produce a parody of "One Shining Moment" – smothered the season of Lakers and convicted Walton.

Walton would lose Lonzo Ball (ankle) and Brandon Ingram (blood clot at the shoulder) at the end of the season while the Lakers would reunite James, Ingram and Ball for only 23 games, or 15-8 during this period . The Lakers have missed more than 210 games because of injuries and used more than 25 different starting lineups this season.