As Luke Walton's days reportedly come to a close as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the organization might not need to go very far to find their next candidate, as LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers has a reported mutual interest, according to longtime journalist Peter Vecsey:

“According to a confidant, he almost always has wanted to leash the Lakers,” wrote Vecsey on his Patreon. “In conversations over the years, Doc frequently expressed an ardent ambition to coach either them, or the Knicks before retiring, if for no other motivation than their worldwide brands.”

Vecsey has had a few controversial rumors since coming out of retirement to cover the NBA independently in 2017, mostly doing so through his Patreon page after being a longtime columnist for the New York Post.

It's worthy to note that Rivers received an extension of his contract on May 23, 2018, which is a likely sign he's happy coaching his current team, which is playoff-bound as it is.

To see him cross the hall for the Lakers would be the ultimate stinger in the eyes of the Clippers, who would have to authorize a meeting between both parties before any contractual talks could take place.

Vecsey seems to be going off talks and desires he has heard from Rivers over the years, but he has yet to point to a recent conversation signaling he's leaning toward the Lakers job.

Perhaps what makes it tougher to decipher is that both Walton and Rivers are currently employed and unable to openly talk about anything that could result as a conflict to their jobs.