Kings coach Luke Walton says he has ‘no interest’ in leaving Sacramento for Arizona job

Kings coach Luke Walton was among the first to be mentioned as a potential replacement at Arizona after Sean Miller was fired Wednesday.

Maybe one day he will return to his alma mater and lead the Wildcats back to the heights they reached under former coach Lute Olson decades ago, but Walton said he is not interested in the job at this time.

“No, no interest,” Walton said. “I love Arizona. I think Sean Miller did an amazing job there in his time, but I have a job. I have a job that I love. I have a group I love working with, so I’m very committed to being hear in Sacramento and keeping this going in the direction that we want it to go and getting this team back into the playoffs.”

Walton has a 53-70 record in two seasons with the Kings. He had a 98-148 record in three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers before coming to Sacramento in 2019. Walton has two years remaining on his contract with the Kings, both fully guaranteed, sources have told The Sacramento Bee.

Arizona fired Miller after FBI and NCAA investigations led to a self-imposed postseason ban and the possibility of further sanctions. Miller spent 12 seasons at Arizona, compiling a 302-109 record with five Pac-12 Conference championships and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. The Wildcats reached three Elite Eights and two Sweet 16s, but a federal probe sullied the program and put former Arizona assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson in prison for three months.

When Miller was fired Wednesday, Walton was immediately rumored as a possible replacement given his ties to the program and his love for the university. Walton was a two-time First-Team All-Pac-10 selection at Arizona, where he played for Olson from 2000-03.

Other Arizona alums who have been mentioned as potential candidates include current Arizona assistant Jason Terry, Los Angeles Lakers assistant Miles Simon, Pacific head coach Damon Stoudemire and Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner.