NBA Rumors: Multiple Teams Waiting For Lakers To Fire Walton

Luke Walton may not be humming with the Los Angeles Lakers and there is a growing belief that he will be relieved of head coaching duties after the 2018-19 NBA season. And while not all believe he is to blame for the purple and gold's plight, he is not expected to be unemployed should the inevitable happen.

According to Sporting News, the Phoenix Suns are one of the many teams keeping tabs on Luke Walton's fate. He added that the Cleveland Cavaliers are another team in waiting, proof that the 38-year-old mentor will not end up empty.

As mentioned in a previous post, Walton gained the attention of most NBA teams after he took over as interim coach of the Golden State Warriors back in 2016. He filled in for Steve Kerr at the time who was rehabilitating his back.

When he first agreed to join the Lakers, expectations for high on Walton. But the scenario then was far different from what it is now. Los Angeles had budding young stars at his disposal, tasked to whip them into shape and turn the Lakers into form and be more competitive. Throughout his tenure, the former Lakers player somehow got a bit of headway, improving on past NBA season records.

However, the expectations and landscape change for Walton and the Lakers when key people came into the picture. There was the change at the top that saw Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Rob Pelinka coming on board to be the team president of basketball operations and general manager respectively.

The stakes also went higher when the Lakers were able to sign LeBron James. Hence, from a team in development, Walton had little excuse not to lead the Lakers to the playoffs. Unfortunately, there were other bases that were not covered - the most important of which is giving the three-time NBA champion player support.

In another previous post, the Lakers were criticized for letting the likes of Julius Randle and Brook Lopez walk. Both are now doing great with their respective teams and one could just imagine how better the Lakers would have fared this season if these players were still around.

Regardless, all this is water under the bridge. All eyes are on the Lakers and their plans for Luke Walton. Should he get fired, the Suns and Cavs - ironically LeBron's last team - lead the list of suitors for his services.