The Los Angeles Lakers could part ways with coach Darvin Ham this offseason after the team’s first-round exit at the hands of the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, who have now bounced Los Angeles from the playoffs in two straight seasons.
Although it’s not yet been made official, Ham’s exit has been widely speculated upon, and some names have already been floated as possible replacements for the Lakers’ potential vacancy.
Among those who are considered “real candidates” include both Tyronn Lue and JJ Redick, according to ESPN’s Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin.
“JJ [Redick] certainly is a real candidate if they do open up this coaching search,” McMenamin said Thursday during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. “There’s, I’d say, half a dozen folks out there, including possibly the guy who just lost last night against the Mavericks, Tyronn Lue … that there will be a process there that there are several viable candidates that will get an interview.”
McMenamin noted that Ham had not yet met with the Los Angeles front office regarding his future, so there’s still no guarantee that he won’t be brought back for the 2024-25 season.
Redick, of course, recently started a podcast with Lakers superstar LeBron James dubbed Mind the Game, where the pair break down the X’s and O’s of basketball together.
It’s clear that James holds him in high regard, so if a vacancy does open up, it stands to reason that Redick, who has reportedly interviewed for the Charlotte Hornets’ vacancy, would be a realistic Lakers candidate.
