The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a head coaching deal with Frank Vogel, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes. The former Pacers coach has signed on for a three-year pact with the franchise.
Also joining L.A.’s coaching staff is Jason Kidd, who Wojnarowski tweets agreed to his own deal with the team today. Kidd will serve as a prominent assistant, although there may be not be a specific “top assistant” distinction.
The length of the deal and the involvement of Kidd are key to the story as those are what apparently derailed the Lakers’ previous plans of bringing Tyronn Lue aboard to coach LeBron James.
We wrote at the time that Lue had been in favor of a five-year pact and wasn’t especially keen on L.A.’s desire to have Kidd so heavily involved.
Story: Lakers Move On From Tyronn Lue as Coaching Candidate
Vogel arrives in Los Angeles having most recently spent two years at the helm of the Orlando Magic. Vogel’s teams fell well short of the playoffs from 2016-18 but the franchise was very much embroiled in the midst of a rebuild.
The most significant chapter of Vogel’s portfolio is without a doubt his stint in Indiana. It was Vogel at the helm of the Pacers team that battled James’ Miami Heat for three consecutive seasons. The two conference finals losses during that run were the team’s best finishes but his overall winning percentage with the franchise was an admirable .580.
