The Lakers are poised to hire former Cavs coach Mike Brown as their next coach

The Lakers are poised to hire former Cleveland coach Mike Brown as their next head coach, a source confirmed to SI.com.

While a deal has yet to be finalized, the source involved in the team's coaching search said it appears that it's "a formality" that Brown will succeed the recently retired Phil Jackson. The potential deal, according to CSNBayArea.com, would be for four years and $18 million.

The Los Angeles Times reported the deal would have a fourth-year team option and pay between $4 million and $4.5 million annually. Lakers owner Jerry Buss reportedly said in an interview with Sirius XM on Tuesday that his team was "very close" to selecting its coach.

The move is believed to be driven by Jim Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president of player personnel and son of owner Jerry Buss, whose role was expected to increase with Jackson's departure. Brown, the defensive-minded coach who took the 2010-11 season off after being fired by the Cavaliers last summer, was believed to be the frontrunner for the Golden State vacancy as well.

He went 272-138 in five seasons with the LeBron James-led Cavaliers, taking the team to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and the Finals once (2007) and being named Coach of the Year in 2009. But not long before James left his home state for Miami as a free agent, Brown was let go despite the Cavs going 127-37 in his final two regular seasons.

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...s.coach.brown/