On Monday, the Sacramento Kings made it official by announcing they had agreed to hire former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton. With Walton more than pleased to be out of Los Angeles and in Sacramento, the former Lakers leader believes that joining the Kings was one of the most desirable outcomes for his career.

The Lakers and Walton mutually agreed to part over the weekend before Walton tested the open coaching market.

“I have known Luke for many years and I am so excited to welcome him and his family to the Sacramento Kings,” said Kings general manager Vlade Divac, via the team's official website. “I look forward to his leadership on the court as we work to build a winning culture for many years to come.”

Although the Kings missed the postseason in 2019, the up-and-coming Western Conference franchise has made major progress over the last few seasons. With a core of point guard De'Aaron Fox, shooting guard Buddy Hield, center Willie Cauley-Stein, big man Marvin Bagley III, and veteran forward Harrison Barnes, the Kings are definitely not too far away from cracking the top eight spots in the always-competitive Western Conference. Luke Walton now gets the keys to the Kings and their kingdom, not too far away from where he became a prized coaching prospect with the Golden State Warriors.

With Sacramento recently finishing ninth in the Western Conference standings, the Kings managed to produce a nearly even 39-43 record, which is much better than in recent years. The Kings have not reached the postseason since 2006.