LOS ANGELES _ The Lakers and coach Luke Walton have "mutually" agreed to part ways, the team announced in a statement Friday afternoon.
Walton was brought in the year after Kobe Bryant retired to oversee a rebuild. The Lakers' record improved each season but they also missed the playoffs in each season.
"We would like to thank Luke for his dedicated service over the last three years," general manager Rob Pelinka said. "We wish Luke and his family the best of luck moving forward."
The move comes three days after president of basketball operations Magic Johnson resigned.
Walton is expected to be a top candidate for the Sacramento Kings, who fired former coach Dave Joerger on Thursday. The Kings are led by former Lakers center Vlade Divac.
Walton had a record of 98-148 with the Lakers, who closed the 2018-19 season on Tuesday night with a 104-101 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The arrival of LeBron James created anticipation of the Lakers' return to the playoffs, but the 15-time All-Star forward injured his groin during a win over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas and missed 17 consecutive games. Rajon Rondo also re-injured his right hand during the win and missed 14 games before returning on Jan. 24.
The Lakers plummeted from fourth place in the Western Conference standings to ninth before James' return on Jan. 31. The Lakers announced on March 30 that he was done for the season.
James played in 55 games this season and averaged 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. He made 51 percent of his shots from the field, and 33.9 percent of his 3-point attempts. Those numbers were all higher than James' career averages, except for 3-point shooting accuracy.
