Doc Rivers just finished his second season coaching the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. The Miami Heat took care of things and beat the Sixers 99-90 to advance to the 2022 Eastern Conference finals, where they’ll wait for either the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks.
On the other hand, the Sixers will enter an offseason where they could see some major changes on the roster and the bench. Doc Rivers has been eliminated in the same round in his two years with the team, and many people believe his time in Philly might be coming to an end.
That’s not necessarily bad for the 2008 NBA champion, as there’s one team very interested in his services. The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked with the coach for a couple of weeks now, and if the Sixers let him go, he would have the chance to return to Los Angeles two years after leaving the Clippers.
On ESPN’s Get Up, Brian Windhorst explained Rivers’ current situation and what could happen to him in the near future:
“Doc Rivers is under contract for next year. However, there’s a team in Los Angeles, the Lakers, who’re watching developments closely over the next couple of days. If the Sixers elect to make a change there, and it’s a possibility there. It also depends on what the ownership is about potentially paying out Doc Rivers’ contract, whether Daryl Morey is wanting to replace him. Daryl Morey didn’t hire Doc Rivers. But if he becomes free, Los Angeles Lakers will definitely have interest. They have a process, they have numerous candidates, but he immediately will become a leading contender to get that Lakers job. I don’t believe Doc Rivers is interested in coaching anywhere besides Philadelphia or Los Angeles next year. I think he would be fine returning and would be fine not coaching and working on broadcast, if that happens. But the Lakers would definitely want to get in front of him if he is let go by Sixers.”
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently searching for a new head coach. They have interviewed Terry Stotts and Mark Jackson for the job, but nothing has been decided as of now. The Californians seem to be very interested in Rivers and, according to Windhorst, the interest is mutual.
We have to wait and see how the Lakers’ process keeps developing and if the Sixers decide to hire a new head coach and part ways with Rivers. Some say that the issue with the Purple and Gold has nothing to do with the coach, but that’s not the only thing the team will try to change this summer.
