Lakers part ways with head athletic trainer Marco Nuñez

The chaos following a tumultuous season that ended with a bang thanks to the surprise resignation of Magic Johnson has engulfed another member of the Lakers operation.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports the Lakers have fired head athletic trainer Marco Nuñez, following a season in which basically every marquee player for the Lakers suffered an injury. An injury to Lonzo Ball on Jan. 19 effectively ended his season, while LeBron James also had the longest injury absence of his career.

In addition to figuring out their new power structure without Magic Johnson, the Lakers will also need to find a new leader for their training staff. When the players who did participate in exit interviews were asked about Nuñez and the staff, most of them commended him for his effort, while Lonzo Ball wasn’t too pleased with the results.

Josh Hart has referred to the Lakers' medical staff and coaching staff as "professionals" who dealt with a lot of things they couldn't control. Says no one should "knock them."

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) April 10, 2019

Lonzo Ball on his trust in Lakers' medical staff: "I know they have my best interests. Certain things just come up later. I got the MRI, they didn't see the two bone bruises. I got another, they ain't seen 'em."

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) April 10, 2019

As far as immediate next steps for the Lakers, the early reports are that general manager Rob Pelinka will be even more powerful in the new Lakers power structure.