In a breaking Warriors news update for your Tuesday afternoon, the Golden State Warriors are close to a deal which would bring former Los Angeles Lakers player, and Phil Jackson protegee, Luke Walton to the team as an assistant coach.
Here's Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski with the scoop:
Luke Walton is finalizing an agreement with Golden State to become an assistant coach, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 1, 2014
Walton will have a lot in common with his new boss, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, in that neither have coached at the NBA level.
However, Walton did serve as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis in 2011 during the NBA lockout, and also acted as the player development coach for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League for the 2013-14 season.
In Walton, the Warriors will pick up a young and passionate basketball mind who acquired years of tutelage under the legendary Phil Jackson during his time playing with the Lakers.
Warriors management saw this potential straightaway, picking up Walton before he could be seized up by another NBA coaching staff.
Jackson was said to have coveted Walton himself for the Knicks' rebuilding coaching staff, but like Kerr, the draw of a talented Warriors roster was too much to pass up.
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