Report: Lakers could give JJ Redick first formal interview, want to hire coach by 2024 NBA Draft
After missing out on Dan Hurley, the Lakers will regroup and could reportedly give JJ Redick his first formal interview with the hopes of hiring a coach before the 2024 NBA Draft.
A wild weekend pursuit of Dan Hurley came to an end on Monday with the Lakers left in the same spot they’ve been in throughout the offseason: without a head coach and without a clear No. 1 candidate for the job.
While nothing changed big picture for the Lakers in missing out on Hurley, it is a swing-and-miss on someone who was reportedly their top candidate. Now, the franchise is forced to go back to the drawing board after a weekend courtship of Hurley.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Lakers still have the target of hiring a coach by the start of the 2024 NBA Draft and one notable candidate could be in line for a formal interview.
After a dogged pursuit of Hurley over past weeks, Lakers will regroup and resume bringing in candidates for interviews with hope of hiring a coach by Draft, sources said. James Borrego is expected to remain part of group and Lakers could do their first formal interview with JJ…
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2024
For much of the process, Redick has been the presumed top candidate for the Lakers. Due to his obligations with ESPN and their coverage of the playoffs and the Finals, and perhaps the team moving rather slowly as well, the team has yet to have an in-person interview.
That could soon change now, though, as the Lakers will certainly have some more urgency to their search, something that hasn’t existed so far. If the goal is to have someone hired by the draft, then the Lakers have just over two weeks to get that done.
And if the Lakers were pursuing Hurley most, then having him out of contention means things should naturally move quicker now. The team has laid the groundwork with James Borrego and Redick, so things could potentially move faster.
There are a lot of “ifs” in this, but the Lakers have a hard deadline now and, realistically, they aren’t going to wait all the way up to the draft to hire someone. This move should be made in the coming week, roughly, so that the coach is in place before the draft and ready for what could be an adventurous night for the Lakers.
The team doesn’t have time to lick their wounds. Things still have to move fast in the coming days for the team to make their hire and don’t be surprised if the rumors and reports start coming out more rapidly.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.