The Los Angeles Lakers’ search for their next head coach is just starting to take shape, at least in one way. One of their leading candidates — Mike Budenholzer — is off the board after agreeing to a contract with the Phoenix Suns.
There has been a bit of noise about the Lakers having interest in Jason Kidd, who is the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd was an assistant under Frank Vogel when L.A. won the NBA championship four years ago.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Kidd is also off the board after agreeing to an extension with Dallas.
But the big item Wojnarowski mentioned is the fact the Lakers are intrigued with JJ Redick. A former sharpshooter in the league for many years, Redick has no real coaching experience, but many feel he has a sharp mind, not to mention the chutzpah to handle being an NBA head coach (h/t Lakers Nation).
"That takes [Jason Kidd] certainly off of the Lakers wishlist." ✍️ @wojespn on Jason Kidd's extension with the Mavs and an update on the Lakers' coaching search 👀 pic.twitter.com/aOMy8PV8UC
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 11, 2024
“Their search is going to ramp up this week, I’m told. Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office, they’ll be in Chicago for the league’s draft combine. You can expect them to start calling for permission to talk to coaches around the league, some assistants. But one name that the Lakers have been drilling down on in their initial research here: JJ Redick, our colleague at ESPN. He is certainly somebody that the Lakers are intrigued with. They’ve been making a lot of calls to try to learn more about him. But expect this to be a wide-ranging and a lengthy search for L.A.”
Redick is a commentator for ESPN’s NBA coverage, as well as LeBron James’ co-host on the “Mind the Game” podcast.
