The Lakers are parting ways with coach Frank Vogel and intend to inform him Monday, the day after the conclusion of the regular season, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Vogel and the Lakers were the NBA’s biggest disappointment, failing to qualify for the postseason despite adding All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook to a lineup that already featured LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Of course, the decision to fire Vogel was seemingly determined weeks ago, so this news comes as no real surprise. Per Wojnarowski, the Lakers’ search for a replacement is expected to be “lengthy and expansive,” with no clear favorites at the moment.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder, 76ers coach Doc Rivers and Raptors coach Nick Nurse are among those who have already been linked to the job, though there is no reason to believe any will become available.
Vogel told reporters after the season-ending overtime win over the Nuggets that he had not spoken to anyone with the Lakers about his future.
“I haven’t been told s–t and I’m gonna enjoy tonight’s game,” he said. “… We’ll deal with tomorrow tomorrow.”
Vogel, 48, coached the Lakers for three seasons, with LA winning the title in the Disney bubble in the first. However, they were eliminated by the Suns in the first round last season and finished 33-49 this year.
As noted by Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors, “Vogel received a contract extension prior to the 2021/22 season, but it only tacked one year onto his initial deal with the team, which wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.”
Vogel coached the Pacers and Magic before making his way to the Lakers, and is 430-389 in 11 seasons overall.
Not all of the issues were Vogel’s fault, of course. The Lakers entered the season with the oldest roster in NBA history and returned just four players from last season.
They intend to shake up the roster around James and Davis during the offseason — with the futures of Westbrook and even GM Rob Pelinka still seemingly very much up in then air.
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report first reported of the Lakers’ intentions to fire Vogel, when Fischer wrote about it last week.
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