Mitch Kupchak talks about the Lakers decision to fire Byron Scott

The Los Angeles Lakers decided to part ways with head coach Byron Scott on Sunday night. The team announced in a press release on Sunday night that they would not be picking up the third-year team option on Scott's contract after the head coach led the team to the two worst records in the history of the team.

In that same press release, general manager Mitch Kupchak said "we would like to thank Byron for his hard work, dedication and loyalty over the last two years, but have decided it is in the best interest of the organization to make a change at this time," but offered no further comment.

That changed on Monday afternoon, with Kupchak speaking out in an exclusive interview with Chris McGee of Time Warner Cable Sportsnet. In the interview, Kupchak told McGee "there wasn't one reason that led to the decision to not extend Byron's contract, it was a bunch of things," although he did acknowledge "you can never discount your record. It's always a factor, although in this case it was not the primary factor."

Kupchak also told McGee that he and Jim Buss "agreed on this move 100 percent," indirectly contradicting the rumored rifts within the organization on whether or not to retain Scott.

The Lakers general manager additionally mentioned "It would be nice" to find a coach to remain with the team long-term. Following Scott's firing, the team's search for that coach begins now, a search that Kupchak said "is not something we want to drag out," and that the Lakers are trying to "narrow their list [of candidates] down," while saying that the search continuing into free agency is "unlikely."

That search will reportedly include names like Luke Walton, Kevin Ollie, Jeff Van Gundy, and Ettore Messina. Stay tuned to Silver Screen and Roll for the latest updates on the search.

All quotes transcribed via Time Warner Cable Sportsnet. You can follow this author on Twitter at @hmfaigen.