Lakers News: Confusion For Jeanie Buss as 3 New Candidates Join Job Market As LA Interview Update Drops

With Darvin Ham no longer a part of the Lakers, the head coaching job in LA is wide open. With that, several names have been thrown into the mix with the potential to fill that vacant spot. This pivotal move will be the franchise’ third one since 2020. The Lakers will throw a wide net to get the best of the best, to negate the past misfortunes they’ve had with other coaches. The pool of candidates is expected to contain many seasoned veterans and even promising and ambitious newcomers.

The LA side has already taken a few names off their list, including Mike Budenholzer who is possibly signing up with the Suns soon, and Charles Lee who is expected to join the Charlotte Hornets. But they still have a few names left who can be the possible picks for the position. The Athletic’s Shams Charania enlightened the world on his recent appearance on the Pat McAfee show.

Going by NBA Insider Shams Charania’s words, the Lakers are expected to ramp up their head coaching search by starting interviews somewhere around next week. Then, Shams added, “I would look at names like Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick; those two names are potential as well…”

Charania further added, “Even guys like David Adelman, whose an assistant coach in Denver right now. James Borrego, an assistant coach in New Orleans right now. They are gonna have a wide net and I would expect them to interview an abundance of candidates”.

So, it looks like the Lakers might assess the entire field before making their decision, and lucky for them, the Bucks have let go of three members from their assistant coaching staff, DJ Bakker, Josh Oppenheimer, and Sidney Dobner. Jeanie Buss might not mind adding the three to the interview round. Having been a part of the Bucks coaching staff before Doc Rivers took over earlier this year, the three assistant coaches no longer fit the new head coach’s vision in Milwaukee.

But all three are highly accomplished individuals and could be great for the Lakers’ head coaching job. Joining the Bucks before the start of the season, Bakker was the newest of the three Bucks members. But Oppenheimer and Dobner had been in the organization for a long time and even helped the Bucks win a Championship three years ago under the leadership of Mike Budenholzer. So, with proven Championship experience, they can make a tremendous impact in LA.

Eventually, it’s all about keeping LeBron James in LA

Although it seems like a challenging task for Jeanie Buss and Co. to go through multiple candidates to pick the right head coach, it might eventually be worth it if LeBron James chooses to stay in LA at least for another season. Making the Lakers’ intentions clear, Shams said, “LeBron James wants to play up to two more seasons & obviously the Lakers want to bring him back.” But LeBron is yet to pick up his over fifty-one million player option for next season, and he has until June 29 to make that crucial decision. Until then, the Lakers might be stuck in limbo about his future in LA.

And a lot could depend on who Jeanie Buss chooses as their next head coach. With the King nearing the age of forty, he only wishes to compete for the Championships at this stage of his career. So, he might keep wearing Purple and Gold only when he believes the Lakers are heading in the right direction, toward a title. Moreover, with his son Bronny James entering this year’s draft, the Lakers are expected to pick the USC star with their seventeenth pick as LeBron has always had a desire to share an NBA court with his son before he hangs his boots.

So, these two major decisions will be key in keeping LeBron glued to the Lakers as he is clearly not close to retiring at least for another two years.