The Lakers seem to have their sights set on a specific candidate for their vacant head coach position.
Los Angeles is now “zeroing in” on JJ Redick as the front-runner for the position, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, though a final decision has yet to be made by Lakers brass.
The new report suggested that Los Angeles still has steps it needs to go through in its coaching search.
Redick’s name has been thrown around for some time in connection with the vacant head coaching job, and Charania reported that a source described the Lakers as “infatuated” with the former NBA player.
Los Angeles is reportedly focused on two candidates — Redick and Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego — but it held interviews with several candidates, including Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and Nuggets assistant David Adelman.
Redick has never held a coaching position beyond youth-level sports but has respect for his knowledge of the game.
His NBA career spanned 15 years after he was drafted by the Magic in 2006, and he averaged 12.8 points on 44.7 percent shooting.
Redick parlayed his strong playing days into a successful media career following his retirement from the NBA, as he serves on ESPN’s top broadcast team.
He also hosts two podcasts — one of which is with Lakers superstar LeBron James.
It’s unclear what would happen to his podcasts if he took the coaching job, though former NBAer Udonis Haslem previously suggested Redick getting hired after being a media personality could create a “cynical locker room.”
“You’re gonna have guys that are gonna say, ‘Is Coach going to do a podcast after the game with LeBron?’ You’re gonna have a cynical locker room with guys that are gonna side-eye everything that JJ says. ‘Cause they’re gonna wonder is it JJ’s message or LeBron’s message,” Haslem said in May.
Charania has previously reported that James would not be involved in the hiring of Los Angeles’ next coach.
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