Lakers hire JJ Redick as next head coach.
JJ Redick working for ESPN at Ball Arena on December 25, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images).
The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a four-year deal with 39-year-old former NBA guard JJ Redick as their next head coach on Thursday, according to ESPN, who first reported the news.
The Athletic's Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha reported that the deal is "in the neighborhood of $8 million per season."
After weeks of interviewing multiple candidates and missing out on UConn’s head coach, Dan Hurley, the Lakers pivoted their interest in ESPN NBA analyst Redick, who they first had high interest in after firing head coach Darvin Ham on May 3 after two seasons.
Redick is stepping into his first NBA head coaching role without prior experience as a head or assistant coach beyond AAU basketball. His 15-year experience in the NBA and knowledge surrounding the X’s and O’s of basketball were particularly what intrigued franchises most seeking to fill their head coaching vacancy.
"I just want all Lakers fans to know that I take this responsibility very seriously. My goal is to give you my best every single day. My goal is to create, along with my staff, the players, and Rob, a championship-level team year after year,” Redick said.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka "became sold on Redick's ability to connect with players and his basketball IQ and believes surrounding Redick with an elite coaching staff will help to shorten his learning curve into his first coaching job."
It’s no surprise that L.A.’s head coach position isn't favored around the NBA, given how much in-and-out the franchise has seen in its head coaches over the past 10 years. The franchise has yet to replace Hall of Fame head coach Phil Jackson, who left the franchise in 2011. Since then, the Lakers have had six head coaches, and none have lasted more than three seasons with the Lakers.
This will be the Lakers' third head coach since 2021 and fourth since LeBron James joined the team in 2018.
Expectations are always high for one of the NBA’s most successful franchises, which is four years removed from its 2020 NBA title and 2023 Western Conference Finals appearance. The spotlight shines even brighter for the first-year head coach, who joins a Lakers team with multiple question marks surrounding the club and its aging star.
James, who turns 40 this season, has until June 29 to decide whether to opt in or become a free agent. If he decides to become a free agent, he can still reach a new contract with the Lakers to potentially end his Hall of Fame career in L.A.
The Lakers and Redick have a tough task at hand: maximizing the tail end of James' career while still having successful pieces on the team to maintain their success when he retires. This means utilizing Anthony Davis, who played a career-high 76 games and earned NBA All-Defensive First Team Honors, to his highest potential while adding the right pieces to not rely heavily on an aging James.
