“I need a 4-year contract, I’ll coach them right now” - LA Lakers legend and 4-time NBA champion says he’ll coach the current team for $25 million per year
The LA Lakers are heading into a crucial offseason, and one of the first orders of business will be finding a new coach.
The team fired coach Frank Vogel a day after the season ended.
On "The Big Podcast" on Thursday, former Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal gave a humorous response to his solution for Los Angeles' coaching search.
"If the Lakers offer me 25 million a year, I'll coach the Lakers," said O'Neal, who helped the Lakers to three championships as a star center. "For four years. I need a four year contract. I'll coach them right now."
"If they offered me $25M a year for 4 years, I'd coach the Lakers." 👀
@SHAQ ponders a coaching career on #TheBigPodcast: bit.ly/3L7t0Bo https://t.co/SDrN1AbDlc
The Lakers finished 33-49 this season, vastly failing to meet their expectations of making a serious run towards the NBA Finals. What's more, the Lakers have finished with a losing record in seven of the past nine years. The Lakers are mired in what is easily the worst era in the gloried franchise's history, despite the 2020 championship in the bubble.
An important offseason looms for the LA Lakers
While Shaquille O'Neal is mostly being humorous about taking over as the LA Lakers coach, the team's offseason will be crucial.
After missing out on the playoffs this year, the organization will be motivated to make the necessary moves to get back on track.
The problem is that the Lakers are going to have to get creative if they want to make some additions. Russell Westbrook remains the elephant in the room as the Lakers will attempt to move on from his contract this offseason. Westbrook has a player option for $47 million, and it would seem that the team will do everything in its power to have a fresh start for both parties.
Shaquille O'Neal's $100M demand to coach Los Angeles
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With fellow superstar Anthony Davis continuing to struggle with injuries, the team also needs to find a way to add more valuable rotation assets to the roster.
The Lakers will be without their first-round selection in June's draft, as it belongs to the New Orleans Pelicans due to pick protections (from the Davis trade).
LeBron James, meanwhile, will turn 38 in December as he plays in his 20th season. It will also be the final year of his contract with the team.
James averaged 30.3 points per game this season, but injuries – and the subsequent missed games – have been more frequent in the last four seasons.