Following a disappointing first-round exit to the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers are closing in on their new head coach after the firing of Darvin Ham.
The list of the Lakers top targets consists of JJ Redick, James Borrego, and Sam Cassell, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jovan Buha.
Redick has no experience coaching in the NBA but has received interest in coaching vacancies, including interviewing for the Charlotte Hornets this offseason, and was also a candidate for the Toronto Raptors job last offseason.
Borrego has spent this season on the New Orleans Pelicans bench, being an assistant to Head Coach Willie Green; before that, he coached the Hornets from 2019 to 2022.
While Cassell has never coached a team, he has plenty of experience as an assistant coach. Starting in 2009, he joined the Washington Wizards, where he spent three years with the team. He then spent six seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2014–2020 as an assistant to Doc Rivers.
The Lakers look to bounce back next season following back-to-back postseason exits to the Nuggets.
