Many outsiders would perceive the Los Angeles Lakers head coach job to be a challenging one, but still one of the premium jobs in the NBA. That might not be true for those inside the league.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander revealed Monday that at lest within NBA circles, the Lakers job is “lowly regarded” and not seen as one of the ideal landing spots. The biggest issue is viewed as finances, with Lakers ownership lacking the deep pockets of some other NBA owners.
As we await Dan Hurley's decision to stay at UConn or leave for the Lakers, one bit of context that I found interesting in talking to a few NBA sources over the weekend is how lowly regarded the actual Lakers job is within NBA circles and where it ranks vs. other organizations.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) June 10, 2024
“That Lakers job isn’t good. It is not good,” one source told Norlander anonymously. “Anyone that’s not in the NBA might not realize it, but the perception of the job is better than what the job is. It’s not a good job. It’s hard, the ownership group isn’t flush with cash, and their front office hasn’t proven they can build a roster. Moving forward, you can’t even build up with three superstars because of the new CBA. You take LeBron (James) and (Anthony Davis) off that team, look at that roster. The team is horrible.”
The Lakers did win a title in 2020, but have struggled to even make the playoffs since then despite having James and Davis. The new coach will be the Lakers’ third hire since James’ arrival in 2018, and their recent offer to Dan Hurley was underwhelming to some despite being billed as huge.
Presumably, the Lakers will turn their attention back to the likes of James Borrego and JJ Redick after Hurley turned them down. Perhaps it makes sense, though, that a former champion coach seemingly turned them down in favor of another job.
