As the Lakers begin their search for a new head coach following the firing of Frank Vogel on Monday, one of their rumored targets is reportedly souring on the idea of joining the storied franchise.
According to Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times, Jazz coach Quin Snyder is “less interested” in leaving Utah for L.A. after observing how the team handled the firing of its now former head coach.
Snyder is one of several candidates the Lakers are reportedly eyeing, along with Raptors coach Nick Nurse, 76ers coach Doc Rivers and Michigan coach Juwan Howard, per Turner.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news of Vogel’s firing Sunday night shortly after the Lakers defeated the Nuggets in the final game of the regular season, before Vogel entered his postgame press conference. The report immediately received backlash on social media, and the situation quickly worsened when Vogel told reporters, “I haven’t been told s---,” in regards to his future.
The Lakers officially announced the move less than 24 hours later. The team then followed the news with a “Thank You, Coach” tweet featuring a picture from the 2019-20 season of Vogel holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy after L.A.’s NBA Finals win over the Heat.
Snyder, a former assistant with the Lakers from 2011-12, is currently in his eighth season in Utah and remains under contract for at least one more season. The Jazz (49–33) finished the 2021-22 season fifth in the Western Conference and are headed for their sixth consecutive playoff appearance, though they’ve never been to the conference finals under Snyder.
