Steve Kerr: Luke Walton 'One of Best Human Beings in NBA' After Lakers Firing

Soon after the Los Angeles Lakers announced they have "mutually agreed to part ways" with head coach Luke Walton on Friday afternoon, Walton's former boss stood firmly in his corner.

In a video posted by NBC Bay Area Sports' Logan Murdock, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr sat encircled by reporters and said the Lakers are "losing one of the best human beings in the NBA," among other things regarding Walton's tenure in L.A.:

The 39-year-old joined the Lakers in 2016 after spending two seasons as Kerr's assistant coach with the Warriors. Walton gained traction as a notable coaching candidate when he led Golden State to a 39-4 record as interim coach while Kerr recovered from back surgery during the 2015-16 season.

Walton posted a 98-148 record in three seasons as Lakers head coach. 

Of course, the headline of Walton's L.A. tenure is when LeBron James came to town ahead of the 2018-19 season. Rumors persisted throughout the Lakers' 37-45 campaign that the All-Star forward wasn't necessarily jelling with Walton.

In November, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that James was ignoring play calls from Walton while running the point.

Former Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson disputed the report on SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t CBS Sports), saying in part, "Brian got it wrong. This is all about making sure they can say something on ESPN and everybody can just talk."

Sports Illustrated's The Crossover podcast analyzed the relationship between James and Walton. Regardless of the true dynamic between the two, Walton is now gone while James remains. 

Johnson is now gone as well after holding an impromptu press conference earlier this week to step down from his post with the Lakers. The 59-year-old Hall of Famer resigned publicly before informing team owner Jeanie Buss.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on Wednesday that Buss had given Johnson permission to fire Walton because of the coach's "unwillingness to bulk up his coaching staff." Haynes also relayed that Johnson had been "displeased" with Walton's inability to adjust in-game.

Moving forward, James presumably will have some level of input regarding L.A.'s next head coach. The three-time NBA champion is signed with the Lakers through the 2021-22 season, but at 34 years old, the Lakers have no time to waste in trying to bring a championship home during the LeBron Era.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has already named Ty Lue and Monty Williams as strong candidates to replace Walton. Lue served as James' head coach in Cleveland from 2015 to the beginning of this season and won a championship with James in 2016. 

Lue's playing career began as a Laker, where he stayed from 1998-2001.

While Lue may seem like a foregone conclusion between those two, Wojnarowski noted that Williams' history with James is just as impressive.