Lakers Rumors: Juwan Howard Will Be Candidate for HC If Luke Walton Is Fired

Miami Heat assistant Juwan Howard is expected to be a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching vacancy if Luke Walton is fired, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. 

Stein noted that Howard "should not be billed as the frontrunner."

Howard was recently listed as the favorite to be the next Lakers' coach, per RealGM. Walton and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue were also among those with the best odds.

The 46-year-old Howard figures to be a top candidate in L.A. for a variety of reasons.

To start, he has a connection to Lakers superstar LeBron James both as a player and as a coach. The two were teammates with the Miami Heat from 2010 to 2013 after James left Cleveland the first time. He joined Erik Spoelstra's coaching staff in South Beach immediately upon retirement in 2013.

He does not have any prior NBA head coaching experience, although he has served as the coach for the Heat in the Summer League and for Team Africa in the NBA Africa Game 2018.

It's also worth noting that Howard and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka were teammates during the Michigan Wolverines' iconic Fab Five era. The Athletic's Bill Oram recently noted Howard and Pelinka are "good friend[s]."

Walton told Oram last month that he "fully expect[s] to be coaching this team again next year," but given the franchise is in the midst of a six-year playoff drought, changes could be coming. The Lakers (35-44) still have the opportunity to improve their record for the second consecutive year under Walton, but going 0-for-3 on the postseason could cost him his job.