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Luke Walton has been unemployed for a long time. The former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers was dismissed Friday after agreeing to part with the team, but only a few days later, he was officially announced. as the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings. This agreement would lead him through the 2022-23 season, which will allow him to stay in step with the new pact between the Kings and General Manager Vlade Divac. The Kings have their new brains in place for the next four seasons. And Divac is excited to have his man up.
"I have known Luke for many years and I am very happy to welcome him with his family to Sacramento Kings," m said Divac. "I look forward to his leadership on the ground as we work to create a winning culture for many years."
The rental is not surprising. Walton would have been the Kings' first choice from the moment they fired Dave Joerger. The basketball was rather persuaded that the Kings had been fired by Joerger after having had the Kings' best season for more than a decade, especially for having the opportunity to hire Walton. Walton, in turn, seems to have pushed his exit from the Lakers with the idea that the Kings would become his next destination. Business like this takes more than a day to develop. It took something longer than that to get it done, so both parties had to have an idea of the mutual interest here.
Now, Walton will be able to join a list and franchise much more suited to his coaching skills. The Kings are extremely young and built around potential stars from 'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley. Walton's greatest asset as a coach was his ability to develop young players. Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and Alex Caruso under the tutelage of Walton, they are all blossoming and the Kings are now waiting for it to have the same effect on their more talented core.
What Walton was not ready to do was to be a real superstar in a team that wanted to win the championship right away. He never seemed to earn the respect of James Lebron or other veterans in his locker room, but expectations will not be a problem in Sacramento. They have not participated in the playoffs for 15 years. He will be a hero if he manages to convince them to cross this bump. As for respect in the locker room, the veteran leader of Sacramento is Harrison Barnes. He played in the Golden State Warriors, which earned him a 39-4 record a few years ago, and he can vouch for Walton's qualifications as a coach.
It's a perfect fit on paper, a chance for Walton to develop as a coach with a team perfectly suited for him, without the pressures of the Lakers' header. Things may not have worked in his first job, but he is a talented young coach who deserved another chance. He had a really good one with this Kings team.
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