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The Los Angeles Lakers firing Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak on Tuesday morning has naturally led to questions about who will be replacing them.
There were reports earlier this month that Lakers legend, NBA logo, and Golden State Warriors advisor Jerry West would be “intrigued” by a return to his old stomping grounds, but according to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, “West will not be part of the Lakers' revamped management structure.”
Who will be a part of that structure is the biggest question surrounding the Lakers right now, although a different member of the West family could still be in line for a bigger role.
West’s son, Ryan West, is already the Lakers director of player personnel and is almost universally seen in positive regard in basketball circles, and has reportedly been a part of the Lakers’ success at finding talent late in the draft in recent years. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, he’s expected to move up:
In the interim, Ryan West's power will and should grow. He's become one of the more respected assistant GMs in the league
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) February 21, 2017
Stay tuned to Silver Screen and Roll for the latest updates on this developing story. Harrison Faigen is co-host of the Locked on Lakers podcast (subscribe here), and you can follow him on Twitter at @hmfaigen.