Even with Kobe Bryant imploring them to take the plunge, the Los Angeles Lakers have cooled on their planned pursuit of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
ESPN reports the Lakers feared the Bulls would seek some sort of deal requiring the team to surrender its No. 7 pick in the upcoming draft as part of any exchange allowing them the right to speak with Thibodeau, still under contract in Chicago for the next several seasons.
Tom Thobodeau calls Knicks dream job
Despite averaging more than 50 wins over his first four seasons in Chicago and being named the 2010-11 coach of the year, Thibodeau and the Bulls have consistently been at odds, much of the acrimony stemming from the organization's decision to terminate assistant coach and Thibodeau confidante Ron Adams after the 2012 season.
With a draft that includes such big-time talents as Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, Tyler Ennis, Dante Exum and Marcus Smart, the Lakers simply view potentially surrendering their pick as too steep a price.
The Lakers have just three players under contract going into next season and management seems of the mind that getting such a relatively inexpensive talent as one of the top picks in the draft would go a long way in their rebuilding efforts by freeing up more money to pursue other top-tier free agents.
L.A. isn't the only team to have expressed interest in Thibodeau this offseason should he truly ever seek to force his way out of Chicago. The Memphis Grizzlies
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