While reports having indicated that JJ Redick is the clear frontrunner in the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching search, there has not yet been any indication that the job is his and a deal is done.
Redick interviewed with the Lakers over the weekend and was said to be waiting for the NBA Finals to end before making any decisions. That series ended on Monday, but the Lakers still don’t have a head coach in place with the NBA Draft creeping up.
If it is not Redick then the other name that has been in the mix for the Lakers is James Borrego, although he is also the frontrunner for the Cleveland Cavaliers and now could be an option for the Detroit Pistons after they parted ways with Monty Williams. He is not alone in that as Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports is also reporting that Redick is a name to watch for the Pistons:
James Borrego could be a name to watch, league sources told Yahoo Sports, as well as ESPN analyst JJ Redick. Redick is currently a prime candidate for the Lakers job, so it isn’t known how much traction Detroit could actually gain.
It’s hard to imagine Redick passing up the Lakers and his friend LeBron James to coach the Pistons, who had the worst record in the league last season. But there certainly would be less pressure in Detroit for Redick so maybe he considers it, especially since he has never coached before at any level. He would be given time to develop the Pistons’ young players as opposed to needing to win right away in L.A.
After already getting turned down by Dan Hurley, the Lakers also losing out on Redick would be a disaster for the Lakers front office in their coaching search. It will be interesting to see if the Pistons getting in the mix gives the Lakers more urgency to close the deal with Redick, or if L.A. will continue to be methodical in its search before coming to a decision.
Monty Williams ‘not in the picture’ in Lakers coaching search
One name who could potentially come up for the Lakers is Monty Williams, who was let go by the Pistons after just one season. The Lakers had interest in hiring Williams in 2019 before he chose the Phoenix Suns instead and they went on to hire Frank Vogel.
Despite that though, Williams is not currently in the picture for the Lakers’ current opening according to reports.
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