Coach JJ Redick’s Lakers Candidacy Comes Alive Despite Anthony Davis Threat After Dan Hurley’s $100 Million News

For quite some time now, former Orlando Magic player JJ Redick was the frontrunner in the race to become the next Head Coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, a new revelation states that current UConn Huskies coach, Dan Hurley, is set to be the one who Rob Pelinka and the rest of the team management will go ahead with. In fact, according to reports, the Lakers are expected to put forward an 8-year, $100 Million contract in front of the 51-year-old. While the chances of rising to the top seem more and more unlikely for JJ Redick with each passing day, a renowned ESPN reporter still believes that there is a chance for him.

A couple of hours ago, Adrian Wojnarowski appeared on the latest episode of ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show’. When the conversation between the duo shifted to the Lakers HC selection process, the reporter highlighted that everyone who was considered for the top position before Dan Hurley was a viable candidate in their own right. Unfortunately, according to him, general manager Rob Pelinka had already made up his mind about the UConn coach, and the reason Pelinka was pursuing other candidates was so that he didn’t waste valuable time pursuing Hurley when he didn’t want to come in. This way, there was a surety that a backup plan would always be present to fall back on.

“He (Pelinka) has interviewed other candidates, and if Dan Hurley says no to this job, then it’s going to circle back to the JJ Redicks, the James Borregos, among some others,” said Wojnarowski.

The same scenario was speculated to take place by ‘First Things First’ host Nick Wright. During a recent segment, he highlighted his belief that the college coach would not choose to enter the NBA, and that “This ends with Dan Hurley getting a big additional raise from UConn, and JJ Redick being the head coach of the Lakers.” While Wright stated that he would be “thrilled” to have someone like Hurley on the roster, his observations tell him that reality will take a different route.

Will Anthony Davis’ influence cause the Lakers to select James Borrego instead of JJ Redick?

During the above interview, Woj further highlighted that the Lakers had reportedly called in New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach, James Borrego, for a formal sit-down. However, the same was not done for JJ Redick, since the franchise immediately accelerated the process to start considering Dan Hurley. Going forward with James Borrego may be something that the Lakers second highest average scorer, Anthony Davis, may have a hand at.

According to Substack reporter Marc Stein, the rumour mill has been churning the speculation that Anthony Davis “probably prefers for James Borrego to get the job over Redick”. Both individuals go a long way, since Borrego briefly served as the player’s instructor when the latter was drafted into the NBA back in 2012. Unlike Redick, Borrego has years of extensive coaching under his belt. Given the fact that lead scorer LeBron James is 39 years of age and may not stay with the Lakers for long, the pivot becomes Anthony Davis.

“For the time being, that’s the plan”, said ‘Lakers Nation’ journalist Trevor Lane a couple of weeks ago. “Two more years with LeBron. We’re transitioning into this being Anthony Davis’s team. He’s their best player. And so, finding pieces that fit AD, including the coach, is going to be more and more of a concern”.

In a scenario where Dan Hurley does not choose to go with the Lakers, who would be your pick? JJ Redick or James Borrego? Let us know in the comments down below.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.