Lakers meet with JJ Redick, James Borrego, Sam Cassell as coaching interviews begin: Sources

The Lakers hired JJ Redick to become their new head coach on June 20th, 2023.

The Los Angeles Lakers have begun interviewing candidates for their next coach, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The Lakers have held formal meetings with JJ Redick, New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego and Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell over the past several days, according to those sources. Team officials plan to meet with Denver Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn as they do their due diligence on the candidate pool.

Leaguewide, Redick — a former player and media analyst — has garnered buzz for the position. The Lakers are infatuated with Redick’s potential, according to league sources, viewing him as a Pat Riley-like coaching prospect who could both help the franchise in the short term and lead it for years. Riley, a nine-year NBA veteran as a player, was a broadcaster for the Lakers from 1977 to 1979 before making the leap to assistant coach in 1979 and then eventually head coach in 1981.

While Redick and Lakers star LeBron James co-host the podcast Mind The Game, James has made it known that he is staying out of the team’s coaching search.

"I'm told LeBron James is not involved in the Lakers head coaching search…James has made it clear that this is the organization's decision, he's had no conversions with the Lakers about JJ Redick."@ShamsCharania on the pic.twitter.com/4YbscRYII7

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 20, 2024

Many have suggested the Lakers could hire Redick to appease James, given their relationship. However, James’ representation, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, said Monday that is not the case.

“LeBron James and JJ Redick, they do a podcast together,” Paul told The Athletic. “That does not mean that (James) wants Redick as his head coach.”

James has a June 29 deadline for his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season. League sources told The Athletic that the opt-in and opt-out routes are both on the table, and the leading scorer in NBA history is expected to play up to two more seasons.

As The Athletic previously reported, the franchise views the next coach as more of a hire for Anthony Davis, who is 31, than James, who will turn 40 in December. Multiple sources briefed on the matter say one person who has become a respected unofficial resource for the Lakers during the process is legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose deep knowledge for candidates, such as Redick and others, provides a lens into the culture the organization wants and the characteristics of a potential staff around the next head coach.

Davis has recently developed a good rapport with Borrego, whom he briefly overlapped with in New Orleans during the summer before his rookie season, league sources said.

The Lakers are taking a methodical approach with their process and are seeking a coach who will command the locker room and hold players accountable, as well as tirelessly game plan and provide a level of structure and organization, according to multiple league and team sources.

Los Angeles is searching for a new coach after firing Darvin Ham earlier this month. The Lakers finished the season at 47-35 and fell to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

During Ham’s tenure, the team went 90-74 in the regular season and 9-12 in the postseason.

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(Photo of JJ Redick: Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images)