The Los Angeles Lakers’ search for a new head coach in underway and former sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick is viewed as the early favorite.
Redick’s relationship with LeBron James is a big reason he is in this position as he has not coached at any level since retiring in 2021.
If the Lakers are going to hire another first-time coach with Redick, then they need to make sure he has an experienced staff with him to help him with the stuff he is not yet familiar with.
Even though Redick has not been hired yet, some names are already starting to emerge as targets for his coaching staff. According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Lakers are looking at Sam Cassell and James Borrego, who they have interviewed for their head coaching position, as well as a familiar face in Jared Dudley:
More smoke to support the idea that ESPN’s JJ Redick is indeed the leading candidate to land the Lakers’ head coaching job: Rumbles about possible staff targets for Redick have already begun to circulate.
League sources say fellow Lakers search candidates Sam Cassell (Boston) and James Borrego (New Orleans) would be prime targets for Redick’s staff as well as an expected run at trying to bring Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley back to Lakerland. As a Lakers player for the final two seasons of his career in 2019-20 and 2020-21, Dudley had strong relationships with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
These are names that make sense as Borrego would give Redick a former head coach on his staff that is known for being able to scheme up a quality offense. Cassell is a former player and long-time assistant that has great relationships with players, and of course the same could be said for Dudley, who is close with both James and Anthony Davis and also played with Redick on the L.A. Clippers.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers would be able to get all of those guys to leave their current job, but regardless, it seems that they understand that if they were to hire Redick, they would need to make sure he has a great staff around him.
LeBron James not involved in Lakers’ coaching search
Even though JJ Redick is viewed as LeBron James’ top candidate, the Lakers star is letting it be known that he is not involved in the Lakers’ coaching search. So if Redick is indeed hired, it will be done by Rob Pelinka and the front office, even if James does sign off on it at the end.
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