Seven weeks after firing Darvin Ham, the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday chose their next head coach: JJ Redick, the 15-year NBA veteran turned podcaster and broadcaster, league sources with direct knowledge of the situation say. situation. Athleticism. Redick is signing a four-year contract worth approximately $8 million per season with the Lakers, according to sources briefed on the deal.
Behind the scenes, the Lakers were focused on Redick, 39, over the past four weeks, infatuated with his coaching potential for the present and the future, beyond the next two seasons of LeBron James’ storied career . .
Redick initially interviewed vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka for the Lakers head coaching job for about two hours during the week of May 13 at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Redick then entered the Lakers’ facility on June 15 to meet with Pelinka again, as well as owners Jeanie, Joey and Jesse Buss, the other key players in the organization.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the meeting described Redick as “impressive” during his visit to Los Angeles, diving deep into his offensive and defensive philosophies and displaying a passion for the sport that foreshadowed a willingness to submit to the countless hours of job for the modern head coach.
He explained his decision-making process when it came to strategy, how analysis and empirical evidence would always guide his choices rather than preconceived notions or outdated beliefs. Redick outlined a system molded around this roster, focusing on increasing Anthony Davis’ involvement, particularly late in games, and easing the constant ball-handling duties on James by using him more off the ball. Keeping James, who turns 40 in December, going through the regular season and playoffs will be key.
For these Lakers, Redick’s ability to access his stars in James and Davis might be seamless because of the stature he can bring as a respected former player, but the way he unlocks the rest of the roster and coaches from top to bottom remains crucial to the job. Austin Reaves will surely be part of solid three-man attacks for the Lakers under Redick, who will be pushed to develop players such as Rui Hachimura, Max Christie and anyone else the franchise drafts.
In his meetings with Pelinka and his visit to Lakers owners, Redick showed promise, team sources said. But as with any beginning head coach, the real tests will come during the adversity of training camp and the season, managing player relationships and controlling the locker room.
Redick has enjoyed a meteoric media rise since retiring from his playing career in 2021, running his podcast network, launching the “Mind the Game” show with James and serving as a color commentator during the finals of the NBA, while simultaneously pursuing a head coaching position. Redick interviewed for the head coaching position of the Toronto Raptors in 2023 and the Charlotte Hornets this year. He has never coached professionally – his only coaching experience to that point was with his son’s youth basketball team.
League sources briefed on Redick’s mindset say he really wants to become an NBA head coach and embrace the challenges the job brings, as he believes it’s the natural transition for his career. basketball life.
As Redick watched these NBA playoffs, both as a commentator and spectator, he considered how he would utilize a potential James/Davis-led roster. Just a few years after ending his playing career, Redick is taking on his next basketball challenge.
The Lakers have experienced some turbulence in their coaching search.
Much of the process involved Pelinka meeting with candidates himself off-site or virtually, not at Lakers headquarters. After his conversation with Redick, Pelinka met with Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego in Los Angeles on May 20. Several candidates — Sam Cassell of Boston, Micah Nori of Minnesota, David Adelman of Denver and Chris Quinn of Miami — conducted virtual meetings.
On May 29, Borrego became the first candidate to enter the Lakers’ premises to meet with Pelinka and the owners again.
In the days leading up to and following Borrego’s second in-person visit, some Lakers stakeholders believed the head coaching search was centered on Redick. Given the lack of hiring focused on championship experience after Mike Budenholzer went to the Suns and the Clippers kept Ty Lue long-term with a five-year contract extension, league sources informed of the subject claim that Redick’s chances have increased for the Lakers, a high level. -cap candidate responsible for balancing winning and development and allowed to coach through early mistakes.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Dan Hurley arrived. On June 6, ESPN reported that the coach of the UConn Huskies, back-to-back national champions, was the “target” of the Lakers’ search. Beyond Jeanie Buss and Pelinka, the pursuit has remained quiet within the organization.
Only Pelinka and Jeanie Buss met Hurley when he and his wife, Andrea, came to the Lakers facility on June 7.
Hurley left Los Angeles after being offered a six-year, $70 million contract, according to league sources briefed on the matter. He returned home to Connecticut to mull over his decision while the basketball world waited.
On June 10, he announced that he was staying with the Huskies. Hurley’s new contract with UConn is expected to make him the highest-paid coach in college basketball — six years and more than $50 million, league sources said.
Even though the Lakers moved quickly to offer Hurley a contract that would have made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league, several people inside and outside the Lakers organization questioned the true overall authenticity of the suit and whether the franchise had been used by Hurley to obtain more money to stay in Connecticut. Hurley’s situation was seen by a team source directly involved in the search as an attempt at a Hail Mary.
However, this much is clear: When it comes to the Lakers’ ultimate decision-maker, Jeanie Buss, team sources said she is very motivated to make Hurley their next coach and is genuinely disappointed when the attempt failed.
Hurley himself told Dan Le Batard while making the media rounds that the Lakers’ interest began on June 5. He denied needing leverage to get a raise at UConn on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” when asked about it, then later said that the name, image and the school’s likeness as well as its staff payments still needed to be increased before the Lakers’ process.
Just like that, Hurley exited the board almost as quickly as he entered it.
Lakers executives regrouped on June 11, the day after Hurley’s announcement, and ultimately settled on their top pick, Redick, according to team and league sources. After meeting with the Lakers on June 15, Redick spoke on the phone with Davis on Monday, a critical relationship for years to come, the sources briefed on the situation said.
The decision to choose Redick came as the Lakers, led by Pelinka, prioritized Davis’ voice in the process and ensured he understood the shared vision. Other key players were in favor of the hire, these sources said.
Los Angeles is confident that Redick will be the long-term coaching solution that has eluded the franchise for over a decade.
Since the departure of Phil Jackson in the summer of 2011, the Lakers now have seven different head coaches (eight if you count Bernie Bickerstaff’s five interim games in 2013). Winning hasn’t always meant job security in Los Angeles: Frank Vogel won a championship in 2020 and was fired two years later. Ham reached the Western Conference Finals in 2023 and disappeared a season later.
But Redick, 39, checks a lot of boxes on the Lakers’ long checklist for their next coach. He drew internal comparisons to a young Pat Riley as a potential coach who moved from the broadcast booth to the coaching chair (although Riley spent two years as a Lakers assistant before accepting the highest position). Los Angeles is confident he can be their version of Erik Spoelstra or Steve Kerr – a culture builder who can grow with the franchise for over a decade. However, there have been many more former players and first-time head coaches who have failed to live up to expectations than those who have succeeded, the most recent examples being Steve Nash (Brooklyn), Derek Fisher (Knicks), Jason Kidd (Brooklyn) and Ham.
Multiple sources briefed on the matter said that one person who has become a respected unofficial resource for the Lakers during the process is legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose extensive knowledge of candidates, such as Redick and d ‘others, offers a perspective on the culture desired by the organization. and the characteristics of a potential staff around the next head coach. Krzyzewski’s history with the Lakers dates back to 2004, when Dr. Jerry Buss made a strong but unsuccessful bid to hire Coach K. Redick played for Krzyzewski at Duke from 2002 to 2006.
Assistant coaching candidates for Redick’s staff will include former Trail Blazers head coach and recent assistant Scott Brooks, former Lakers guard Rajon Rondo, former Laker and current Dallas Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley and Cassell, according to league sources.
The timing of Redick’s hiring is notable, as he will join Los Angeles’ roster planning ahead of the NBA Draft on June 26-27 – the first day the Lakers can trade their three tradeable picks (2024, 29 and 31). It also sets up a leader ahead of James’ impending free agency. The 39-year-old superstar must decide whether to exercise his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season by June 29. The Lakers are open to any contract structure that would keep James in Los Angeles, league sources said. Athleticism.
James’ decision and how the Lakers reshape their roster around him and Davis will determine the direction of Los Angeles next season. But Redick’s arrival is a significant gamble on an unproven coach — one the team is confident can bridge the gap to the next era of Lakers basketball.
(Top photo: Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images)