SACRAMENTO -- One day after relieving Dave Joerger of his coaching duties, Vlade Divac and the Kings aren't messing around with their search for a replacement.
NBC Sports California confirmed Friday that the Kings have interest in meeting with former Lakers head coach Luke Walton.
Walton and the Lakers agreed to mutually part ways Friday after a disappointing 2018-19 campaign in Los Angeles. The 39-year-old posted a 37-45 campaign this season and a 98-148 record over his three seasons at the helm in LA.
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After a successful two-year stint as an assistant in Golden State, including a 39-4 record as an interim head coach during the 2015-16 when Steve Kerr missed time because of a back injury, Walton signed a five-year, $25 million to coach the Lakers.
While his young Lakers squad showed promise last season, nothing went as planned for Walton in Year 3 in LA. The addition of LeBron James last summer was supposed to propel the Lakers into the Western Conference playoff picture. But injuries to James and an ill-conceived supporting cast proved too big of a hurdle to overcome for Walton, and his dismissal from the team was expected.
Divac and Walton were Lakers teammates during the 2004-05 season. Divac missed most of the year with a back injury before retiring in the summer of 2005, and Walton was in just his second season in the pros.
The son of Hall of Famer Bill Walton, Luke’s Lakers teams finished second in pace last season and fourth this year. Divac is looking for a head coach who will continue to define the Kings’ running style, led by point guard De’Aaron Fox.
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“Our new coach, which I’m looking for, has to bring, first of all, the style that we had last year -- that’s Kings style,” Divac said after letting Joerger go on Thursday. “We have to play that way. Uptempo and moving the ball and communication and defined roles and obviously believing in the team.”
[RELATED: Joerger surprised by his firing]
On paper, Walton is a good fit, although he struggled to keep the Lakers on the right path during a season of turmoil and chaos this year. Maybe a fresh start would do him some good.
In addition to Walton, the Kings are expected to have interest in San Antonio Spurs assistant Ettore Messina. The coaching search could expand if need be. It also could end quickly.