Lakers Cut Ties with Longtime Director of Sports Performance
This offseason for the Lakers will likely be full of change, but apparently, those changes aren't just limited to the NBA roster. This week, reports surfaced that the Lakers are not renewing the contract of an employee who's been invaluable to the franchise's success since the 1990s.
In a Wednesday article, Dan Woike of The LA Times stated the the Lakers chose not to renew the contract of Director of Sports Performance Judy Seto.
"The Lakers, a source said, will not be replacing Seto in her 'director of sports performance' role."
It's a somewhat surprising move since Seto has been a prominent member of the training staff dating back to 2011. Kobe Bryant deemed Seto's efforts to keep him on the floor as much as possible during the later stages of his career "indispensable".
The Lakers have struggled with injuries for the last several years, but Woike suggests that LeBron James and Anthony Davis being frequently listed on the injury report isn't all on Seto.
"After staving off injuries during their NBA championship season in 2019-20, the Lakers have struggled with a variety of health issues in the two seasons since, a mix of bad luck, advancing age and players with injury histories combining to keep key players off the floor.. Both Anthony Davis and LeBron James have suffered severe injuries, both from fluky plays and typical wear-and-tear."
Cutting long time employees who appear to perform their duties and responsibilities at a high level is just another head scratcher from a Lakers organization that hasn't been able to find its footing in the last two years.
According to Woike's report, head athletic trainer Roger Sancho will continue to lead the training staff.
