Not only will Mike D'Antoni lead the L.A. Lakers through the rest of this season, but according ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein, the new coach will be in place for four seasons. The Los Angeles TImes broke the news that D'Antoni would be the Lakers' new coach late Saturday; D'Antoni's agent told ESPN that the coach signed a deal for $12 million over three years with a fourth year club option.
Mike D’Antoni reportedly signs 4-year deal to coach Lakers
In addition that, the Lakers essentially paid Mike Brown $11 million to go away.
D'Antoni had been out of work since last spring, when the New York Knicks canned him amid a disappointing season. His contract with the Knicks would have been up at season's end.
Brown was making similar salary as what D'Antoni will earn. Phil Jackson, who was heavily rumored as the next coach of the Lakers, would have commanded up to three times that amount.
The three years guaranteed to D'Antoni match up with Steve Nash's deal, which expires after the 2014-15 season. Kobe Bryant is under contract through the end of the 2013-14 season.
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