The Los Angeles Lakers are currently going through a long and drawn-out process to replace the position left empty by their ex-head coach, Darvin Ham. Nonetheless, the entire league is convinced that former NBA star JJ Redick will be filling in the position soon. The Lakers are now being accused by former NBA stars Rashad McCants, Kenyon Martin, and Gil Arenas of using tactics to prolong the coaching saga for ulterior motives.

The accusations came to light on an episode of ‘Gil’s Arena,’ where they talked about the Lakers considering University of Connecticut coach Dan Hurley for head coach, as a tactic to draw out the hiring process. “It feels like they decided to prolong it. Now you throw out a couple candidates until the end of the finals and they make their announcement at the end that it’s JJ. They just going to throw in a couple more motherf**kers that might seem a little bit more qualified or perfect for the job and then they’ll end up picking JJ,” McCants said. Rashad felt that their hiring process was entirely scripted to maintain media buzz.

Martin and Arenas echoed their co-host’s sentiments. McCants claims that Hurley’s inclusion—a reputable college coach with a solid technical background. This seems to be a deliberate attempt to emphasize the Lakers’ exhaustive search. McCants argued that this was a front to validate Redick’s eventual hiring. Redick is a former NBA player without any prior head coaching experience.

The panel felt that this was an apparent attempt from Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka to maintain relevance despite their non-attendance in the NBA Playoffs. McCants pointed out, “They still doing episodes. You still want people to watch right? You don’t want to collude your platform.” Implying that the team was using this event to stay relevant with fans and in the media.

Host, Gilbert Arenas weighed in, “Lakers motto is business and entertainment first. As long as they can keep the name in the algorithm, the Lakers are going to do it.” Arenas feels that the Lakers prioritize business and showbiz over the actual game. LA’s head coach saga has been a hot topic of discussion in the press. Their consideration of Hurley and others adds more intrigue to the process. Take a look at the rest of the contenders.

Lakers interviews still going on, head coach still has not been found

The Lakers began interviews a few weeks ago. JJ Redick, James Borrego (associate head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans), and Sam Cassell (assistant coach of the Boston Celtics) are among those who were interviewed. The Lakers have also set up meetings with Chris Quinn of the Miami Heat, Micah Nori of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and David Adelman of the Denver Nuggets, all of whom are assistant coaches.

There have been rumors that the Lakers wanted to sign Redick to please their star player LeBron James, since the two are good friends and even run a podcast together by the name of ‘Mind the Game.’ Many believed that James was leveraging his friendship to JJ’s benefit. But Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports, and James’ agent denied the speculations. “LeBron James and JJ Redick, they do a podcast together. That does not mean that (James) wants Redick as his head coach,” he said. 

James’s $51.4 million player option for the 2024–2025 campaign expires on June 29. Given that he will most likely play two more seasons, the decision to opt in or out is being considered. Even though LeBron has expressed wishes to stay, nothing is certain. In which case, the Lakers might be more focused on getting a head coach with Anthony Davis in mind since he will be in LA for a while. After their time together in New Orleans, Davis and head coach candidate Borrego have reportedly developed a strong rapport. Maybe something to keep in mind.

Regardless, if the floating predictions are right, JJ Redick will eventually land the job. For now, the team hasn’t officially announced anything and is still engrossed in the hiring process. Watch this space for important updates about the Lakers’ off-season moves.