Some within the Los Angeles Lakers organization have continued to advocate for Luke Walton keeping his job as head coach, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic.

Walton has a year left on his original four-year contract, one he signed in 2016 after leaving the 73-win Golden State Warriors, which he led for half of the season as the interim replacement for an ill Steve Kerr.

Firing the 38-year-old coach would cause considerable “heartburn” for these team officials, considering the basis in which Walton was hired, which was to lead a core of young players and improve them over the years.

The Lakers had no plans of adding LeBron James when they first hired him. In fact, they couldn't possibly fathom The King leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers after leading his team to their first-ever NBA championship over a history-making Warriors team.

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But plans change, and so could Walton's fate as coach of this roster as losses pile up at the end of this injury-laden 2018-19 season.

While some of the blame is left to untimely injuries, poor roster construction and choices within the organization, part of it falls on Walton, who was unable to make this core of his young players work around the greatest talent in basketball.

Even though the Lakers weren't expected to be legitimate title contenders, making the postseason was still a clear goal. Walton is feeling heat for underachieving and is expected to be fired, even if some within the organization still clamor for him to play out the full extent of his contract.