The Los Angeles Lakers missed out on their top head coach target when Dan Hurley decided on Monday to remain at UConn. Many expect them to now pivot back to JJ Redick, but that does not sound like a given.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are planning to interview multiple head coach candidates in hopes of hiring someone by the NBA Draft, which begins on June 26. Redick and New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego remain in the mix, but Wojnarowski makes it seem like they are not the only two receiving consideration.
After a dogged pursuit of Hurley over past weeks, Lakers will regroup and resume bringing in candidates for interviews with hope of hiring a coach by Draft, sources said. James Borrego is expected to remain part of group and Lakers could do their first formal interview with JJ…
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2024
It is also noteworthy that Woj said the Lakers have not had a formal interview with Redick. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last week that Redick was “the first candidate to have a face-to-face meeting with the Lakers three weeks ago.”
Redick is currently covering the NBA Finals as an analyst for ESPN. In an interview last week, it seemed like he all but confirmed that he will be named the next head coach of the Lakers after the playoffs end. Yet, here were are, with the Lakers supposedly still planning to interview multiple candidates.
It is possible that Redick could still wind up coaching the Lakers, but the search has already been quite unique, to say the least.
