If the Los Angeles Lakers fire head coach Luke Walton after the season ends, Miami Heat assistant Juwan Howard would be a candidate to replace him, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.

Howard and Lakers star LeBron James were together for four seasons in Miami.

Stein is reporting that Howard, who played over 20 years in the NBA, wouldn't be the front runner to get the job if Walton is let go by Los Angeles:

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After missing the playoffs in the first year of the LeBron era, the Lakers are widely expected to fire Walton, who joined Los Angeles back in 2016.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue and former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson have also been linked to the Lakers job. Lue, of course, coached James in Cleveland. The two won the 2016 championship together over the Warriors.

Howard has been an assistant with the Heat since 2013. He was part of the 2012 Heat team which defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. That was his final year as player. He became an assistant in the next season.

Whoever gets the Lakers job will have LeBron. But other than that, the roster is heavily flawed.