Magic Johnson had permission from owner Jeanie Buss to fire head coach Luke Walton at the end of the Lakers tumultuous regular season, league sources told Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
The report goes on to state how increasingly upset Magic had become at Walton’s unwillingness to “bulk up” the coaching staff, which he felt was failing to develop the roster’s young talent.
It did not help matters that Brooklyn Nets All-Star D’Angelo Russell and New Orleans Pelicans big man Julius Randle were having career years with their new teams after they were just on the Lakers a season ago.
Instead of firing Luke Walton this week, Magic Johnson abruptly decided to step down as Lakers president of basketball operations on Tuesday.
“I was happier when I wasn’t president … I want to go back to having fun and go back to being who I was before taking on this job.”
“It’s a difficult decision. I cried before I came here,” said Johnson. “I am about to cry now. It’s hard when you love an organization the way I love this organization. It’s hard when you love a person like I love (owner) Jeanie (Buss). I don’t want to disappoint her.”
Walton had no comment to the sudden resignation following the Lakers’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center later on that night.
The Lakers end the 2018-19 campaign with a 37-45 record, missing the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year.
