With the Los Angeles Lakers elimination in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, they've decided to go in a different direction regarding their head coach. At the end of last week, the Lakers informed Darvin Ham as well as the rest of the coaching staff that they were being let go. Rumors abound that the Lakers were looking at current Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue and current Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd among others for their coaching vacancy.
But now it appears as if the Lakers are moving on from targeting either Tyronn Lue or Jason Kidd as per longtime NBA insider Marc Stein. Stein reported that the Lakers no longer consider Lue or Kidd to be realistic targets. Lue is reportedly looking to sign a long term extension with the Clippers while Kidd is reportedly in the same boat with the Mavericks.
Although the Clippers were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, it's believed that both sides are amicable to getting an extension done ahead of the team's move to a new arena for the 2024-25 season. It's also tough to envision Kidd going anywhere as the Mavericks are in the midst of a highly successful season and have done well overall in the three years that Kidd's been at the helm.
Who is next up for the Lakers head coach?
With Kidd and Lue seemingly out of the picture, the Lakers pool of available coaching candidates is a lot smaller. Not that Kidd or Lue were viable targets to begin with, but the Lakers short list shrinks even more.
But despite Darvin Ham's shortcomings as a coach, he did the best he could with the team he was given. One could argue that Ham and the Lakers actually overachieved during his first year in 2022-23. The Lakers came into the 2023 postseason as the No. 7 seed having had to go through the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs.
Despite that, the Lakers actually won two playoff series and advanced to the Western Conference Finals even though they were not that good of a team. This season, they finished just about where most people expected them to. A low playoff seed and a first round exit.
But that wasn't good enough for Ham who was fired with two years remaining on his contract. So with Lue and Kidd out, where do the Lakers turn in terms of their coaching search?
One name that has popped up in recent days is former NBA player JJ Redick. Redick has no previous head coaching experience and has instead moved over to the media and broadcasting side of things since his retirement.
Redick being mentioned as a possible head coach actually did not originate with the Lakers. His name first came with the Charlotte Hornets looking to replace Steve Clifford who is moving into a front office role. Redick apparently has the respect of LeBron James and the two recently formed a new podcast entitled, ‘Mind the Game.'
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