The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t have many coaching staff changes to deal with last season after winning the NBA championship in the Orlando bubble, but that will not be the case this time.
The NBA had a busy few days when many teams parted ways with their head coaches, opening the door for potential promotions for current assistant coaches.
Jason Kidd, who was an assistant coach with the Lakers for two seasons, became a hot name in coaching searches around the league. Ultimately, Kidd departed L.A. to become the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
That move created an opening on Frank Vogel’s staff, so the Lakers needed to bring in a replacement. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, L.A. has found one:
The Lakers are finalizing a deal to hire former Knicks and Grizzlies coach David Fizdale as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2021
David Fizdale first became an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors in 2003 and held assistant coaching roles for multiple teams until 2016. when he landed his first head coach job.
Fizdale coached the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2016-17 season and the New York Knicks in the 2018-19 season. Neither stint lasted long, unfortunately.
But from 2008 to 2016, Fizdale was an assistant coach with the Miami Heat giving him multiple years of experience working with LeBron James.
Other teams also reportedly pursued Fizdale, but he’ll be on his way to L.A. for next season.
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