The Los Angeles Lakers’ head coaching search seems to be nearing a completion with ESPN analyst JJ Redick remaining the favorite to get the job.
Redick was deemed the frontrunner from the outset, although things changed when the Lakers decided to pursue UConn head coach Dan Hurley. They ultimately got turned down, however, and the focus shifted back to Redick, who reportedly understood and accepted the Lakers pursuing a big-name coach like Hurley.
With Redick’s current focus being on the NBA Finals, he had yet to sit down and meet with the Lakers in a formal fashion. He reportedly met with general manager Rob Pelinka for a couple of hours at the NBA Draft Combine.
That interview was finally scheduled for this weekend though and according to Dan Woike of the L.A. Times, it took place on Saturday with key members of the Lakers brass in attendance:
The Lakers hosted former player and current broadcaster JJ Redick on Saturday in their most formal interview with him to date, with multiple members of the organization speaking to the former Duke star about the team’s head-coaching vacancy.
The Boston Celtics are currently up 3-1 on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, so that series could end as soon as Monday, where things could then pick up between the Lakers and Redick:
Redick is currently broadcasting the NBA Finals, and it has been widely speculated the Lakers would wait on him to finish his responsibilities with ESPN/ABC before hiring him as head coach.
The only other known candidate that is still in the running for the Lakers is James Borrego, although he is also the potential frontrunner in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ search for a new coach.
It remains to be seen how things went in Redick’s interview, but the perception has been that the Lakers are enamored with him and he will eventually get offered the job, even though he has no coaching experience.
Lakers hoping to have coach in place by NBA Draft
While the Lakers are potentially waiting for the NBA Finals to end before getting serious with Redick, it appears there a date that the organization would like to have a coach in place by and that’s the NBA Draft on June 26 and 27.
The Lakers have a lot of key decisions to make when it comes to their roster and ideally the new head coach will be able to contribute to those conversations.
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