Familiar Name Emerges as Frontrunner for Lakers Coaching Vacancy
After Dan Hurley turned down the historic franchise to stay in college, the Los Angeles Lakers have a new leader in the locker room who will take over as head coach.
As of this Saturday, June 15, the front-runner is none other than JJ Redick, a former NBA player who is currently a broadcaster and podcaster for ESPN. Redick has already been named the front-runner for the Lakers position once in the previous several weeks.
Following a rumor by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggesting that Hurley was L.A.’s preferred coach and that an offer was on the way, Redick lost out to Hurley.
However, Los Angeles flipped the script back a few pages after Hurley declined a $70 million offer over six years. Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report on Saturday cited a report from Marc Stein, in which a league source told Stein that the Lakers are more than likely going to hire Redick
“It would appear that JJ Redick is firmly in the driver’s seat for the Los Angeles Lakers’ head-coaching position,” Rapp wrote. “A ‘source close to the process’ told NBA insider Marc Stein, ‘You know who is getting the job,’ seemingly referencing JJ Redick.”
Redick had conducted an interview with the Lakers a few months ago, but Wojnarowski said on Thursday that he would do so once more after the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics play Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
“Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka had a 90-plus minute visit with ESPN NBA analyst Rick Redick, who played in the league for 15 years,” Wojnarowski reported last month at the Chicago draft combine. “Now, a trip to Los Angeles will delve much deeper into the work, and Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss will be in attendance,” the sources stated.
Because of the happenings involving James Borrego, another highly sought-after coaching candidate, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Redick should have the upper hand—that is, assuming that meeting goes well.
According to Stein’s article on Saturday, “Borrego’s apparent lead in the Cleveland search could end up leaving Redick as the only top-tier candidate left on the Lakers’ list that they have a clear shot at.”
Between 2018 and 22, Borrego led the Charlotte Hornets as their head coach for four seasons. Prior to that, he was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, and the previous season, he assisted the New Orleans Pelicans.
JJ Redick’s Relationship With LeBron James Could Help Him Land Lakers Job
Redick’s current business ties with Lakers star LeBron James appears to be another selling point for the team.
James and Redick co-host the podcast “Mind the Game,” which they launched earlier this year.
James has stated that he has no control over the person the Lakers choose to manage their sideline. But James has the option to opt out of his contract’s final year this summer. This provides him the most leverage to try to acquire the deal he wants, try to get his kid on the team through the draft, and, if he doesn’t already have it, to choose his own head coach.
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