JJ Redick, a former player and current broadcaster, was interviewed by the Lakers on Saturday in a formal setting.
Several team members discussed the head coaching position with the former Duke standout.
Redick, who has been a major player in the team’s coaching search as an outside favorite, a front-runner after making initial contact at the NBA draft combine, and now possibly the last applicant to meet with owner Jeanie Buss, general manager and executive vice president Rob Pelinka, and other key Lakers figures, is taking a significant step.
There are important roster decisions to be made, including the potential to trade up to three first-round picks (No. 17 this year and unprotected first-round picks in 2029 and 2031) on draft night.
While some inside the organization have stated the team doesn’t necessarily need to hire a coach before the NBA draft on June 26–27.
The Lakers had already hosted Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley and New Orleans assistant coach James Borrego.
Hurley was offered the position by the team, but he declined a seventy million dollar, six-year contract to remain with the Huskies.
Pelinka has been leading the search for Darvin Ham’s replacement for more than a month, starting with a series of casual conversations.
The organization also had conversations with a number of other contenders, such as Boston assistant Sam Cassell, Denver assistant David Adelman, and Minnesota coach Micah Nori, in addition to Borrego, Hurley, and Redick.
Those with knowledge of the matter who are not authorized to talk in public claim that Redick has spoken with Pelinka on several occasions since Ham’s termination.
Nonetheless, outside analysts had long seen Redick as a contender from the beginning of the search.
Before coming to the forefront of the Lakers’ quest, he was briefly connected to the Charlotte opening.
Rival NBA executives frequently made connections between the Lakers and Redick, despite internal opposition to the Lakers’ extensive and open search.
Hurley’s pursuit by the team demonstrated, in part, that the Lakers’ hunt was not limited to the obvious targets.
Redick, who has established a lucrative podcast business, co-hosts “Mind the Game,” a program with LeBron James in which the two discuss basketball strategy and play-calling in greater detail.
James has not been actively involved in the Lakers’ hunt. Should he decide to opt out of his contract this summer, he will be free to sign with any team.
It has been widely assumed that the Lakers would wait to hire Redick as head coach until after he concludes his duties with ESPN/ABC. Redick is currently narrating the NBA Finals.
But two weeks ago, the team invited Borrego for in-person interviews, and last week, they startled the basketball community by making their interest in Hurley known.
The Lakers would be taking a risk by hiring Redick, not only because he is a rookie NBA coach but also because he has no relevant coaching experience at any level.
Redick is thought to be a very analytical thinker with a keen basketball intellect.
He spent 15 seasons as a player in the NBA, where he made significant progress as a three-point shooter during his time with the Clippers.
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