Johnson attributed his decision to several factors. He said he didn't want to have to ask Jeanie Buss to fire Walton, someone for whom Buss has a great deal of affection. He said he was tired of the "backstabbing and the whispering" but never explained exactly what he meant. He said he was tired of not being able to talk to players on other teams and mentor them without the specter of tampering.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 10, 2019 01:18 UTC