Former LA Assistant, South Bay Lakers Head Coach Recruited To Conference Rival

LA will have to replenish its bench.

Frank Vogel just can't seem to stop stealing away coaches from your Los Angeles Lakers.

Per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Phoenix Suns' new head coach has just hired South Bay Lakers head coach Miles Simon and free agent coach John Lucas III, both of whom served on Vogel's bench while he led the Lakers, to join him at his new gig.

Lucas was a 5'11" journeyman point guard, both in the NBA and abroad, from 2005-17 before transitioning to coaching. He was with the Lakers during the club's ill-fated 2021-22 season, when a club heavy with past-their-prime vets finished a paltry 33-49.

Simon had been an assistant coach on LA through multiple regimes. He first linked up with the Lakers as a member of Luke Walton's staff during the 2017-18 season, and was an assistant through the 2020-21 season, winning a title during Vogel's first year with the club in 2019-20. He had been the head coach of LA's NBAGL affiliate, South Bay, for the past two seasons.

Of course, these changes hardly comprise the wildest Phoenix Suns news of the day. Former three-time Washington Wizards All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal, plus reserve guard Jordan Goodwin, have been traded to Phoenix in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, some second round draft picks, and the right to swap future firsts. How many draft picks are being exchanged has yet to be disclosed, as of this writing.

It now appears that the Wizards are seeking out a third team to take on Paul's contract. The Lakers' Crypto.com Arena neighbors, the Los Angeles Clippers, are expected to get into the mix for CP3's services. Will the Lakers throw their hats into the ring as well?

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