The Lakers’ search for a new coach has taken a turn after Dan Hurley decided to stay with UConn. The team is now looking for a new coach, with JJ Redick and James Borrego still on their list of potential candidates.
Borrego has already interviewed with the Lakers and L.A. hopes to schedule its first formal interview with Redick soon. Other names that were being targeted before talks with Hurley heated up include Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, and Heat assistant Chris Quinn.
Before Hurley was the frontrunner for the job with the Lakers, Redick was seen as the top candidate despite having no prior head coaching experience. Now that he’s potentially back in the race for the Lakers top job, his candidacy could become more interesting. The team ideally hopes to install a head coach before the NBA Draft, where they’ll have to make some important decisions.
One of those decisions will be whether or not to draft Bronny James in the second round. Part of the allure of bringing in Hurley was the possibility of him developing Bronny, but now that he’s out of the picture, L.A. will have to ensure whoever is hired has a focus on player development. The team tried to swing for the fences with bringing Hurley in but ultimately fell short due to lowball offer of six-year contract worth $70 million.
