Luke Walton to Lakers: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

With the Golden State Warriors, Luke Walton briefly took over a defending NBA champion and led it to unforeseen heights. Things will be a lot harder in his first full-time stint as a head coach, as the Los Angeles Lakers announced they agreed to a multiyear contract with Walton.

"We're excited to bring Luke back to Los Angeles, where we feel he's going to start an outstanding coaching career," said general manager Mitch Kupchak. "He's one of the brightest young coaching minds in the game, and we feel fortunate that he'll be leading the on-court future of our team."

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reported the deal between Walton and the Lakers is for five years and "about" $25 million; however, Marc Stein of ESPN reported the deal could reach $6 million a year including incentives.

The 36-year-old becomes the Association's youngest head coach. He'll also be the eighth former Lakers player to coach the team, according to ESPN Stats & Info (via ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes):

Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin provided statements from the Warriors' Steve Kerr and Bob Myers:

"I loved everything about my time at Golden State and learning from Steve," Walton said, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "I'll forever be grateful to him, the organization and the team. But I have always dreamed of being a head coach, and the chance to do that for an organization like the Lakers doesn't come around very often."

Bresnahan provided more comments from Walton, who spoke about the team's personnel on Saturday:

Taking over on an interim basis for Coach Kerr last season, Walton led Golden State to an NBA-record 24-0 start. The Warriors were 39-4 before Kerr returned to the sideline, eventually setting an all-time mark with a 73-9 record.

Kerr had nothing but praise for Walton at the time, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:

"

He's done a great job just managing the team and really doing a good job during timeouts and calling the right plays. We have a great talent on continuity, but we didn't skip a beat. We actually got better and that's not only Luke, but the entire staff. 

Luke was the right guy to guide the ship and he's got the temperament. He easily will be a head coach before long and on a more permanent basis. I'm hoping to keep him around longer.

"

Of course, it was always a bit unrealistic to expect Walton to stick around as an assistant. His name instantly rose to the top for nearly all head coaching vacancies. Walton was as much (if not more so) of a commodity as the likes of Scott Brooks and Tom Thibodeau, coaches with 10 playoff appearances between them. 

The New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings were also rumored to be among Walton's top suitors, according to ESPN's Ian Begley and the New York Post's Marc Berman.

But now that Walton is officially signed on as the Lakers' next boss, the team can attempt to accelerate its rebuild. 

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The Lakers already have a solid young foundation in place after drafting Russell, Clarkson—who's a restricted free agent this summer—and Randle, and they could be in line to add more young, cost-controlled talent in June's draft. 

However, the Lakers will need a little luck there. Their first-round pick belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers if it falls outside the top three picks, but a few fortunate bounces of ping-pong balls on May 17 could give the Purple and Gold a shot at landing Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram or one of the other top prizes in the draft. 

There's also the matter of Walton's ability to recruit free agents this summer. While he hasn't been tested in that area to date, the fact that he has ties to a historically significant Warriors team should make L.A. more appealing to prospective signees. 

And with just $23.1 million in guarantees currently on the books for next season, according to BasketballInsiders.com, the Lakers should have plenty of free cash to try to lure impact contributors to Hollywood. 

It's going to be a challenge, no doubt, but if Walton brings the same levelheadedness and stellar play-calling he did to the Warriors, the hire should wind up paying dividends for L.A.