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Lakers Fire Darvin Ham

May 3rd, 2024 at 1:17pm CST by Rory Maher

1:17pm: Ham has officially been dismissed, the Lakers confirmed in a press release (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group).

1:09pm: The Lakers are firing head coach Darvin Ham, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

According to Wojnarowski, general manager Rob Pelinka recently broke the news to Ham over the phone.

Sources tell Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic that L.A. will soon begin an “extensive search” for a new head coach, with former Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, and former NBA player and current ESPN analyst J.J. Redick among the candidates.

Tyronn Lue is another name to watch, per Charania and Buha, though he is currently the Clippers‘ head coach. Lue has one year left on his contract, according to The Athletic.

Multiple reporters, including Marc Stein and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, recently cited Redick as a candidate if Ham were to be fired. Redick co-hosts a podcast with Lakers superstar LeBron James. He’s also said to be a “serious candidate” for Charlotte’s head coaching position.

An eight-year NBA veteran as a player, Ham was a longtime assistant before getting his first head coaching job with the Lakers a couple years ago. He compiled a 90-74 regular season record (.549 win%) and a 9-12 playoff record (.429) in his two seasons at the helm. The team also won a play-in game in each of the past two seasons to advance as the No. 7 seed.

That postseason record is a little misleading, since L.A. made the Western Conference Finals last year before being swept by the Nuggets, who went on to win the championship. The Lakers lost to the Nuggets again in ’23/24, dropping their first-round series in five games.

“It’s been a hell of a two years … I’ll tell you that,” Ham said Monday after L.A. was eliminated, per McMenamin. “Sitting in this seat, it’s been a hell of a two years. A lot of good things that got done, but ultimately, you want to win that ultimate prize.”

Wojnarowski first reported that Ham would be on the hot seat if the Lakers were quickly dispatched by the Nuggets, with multiple subsequent reports indicating that the 50-year-old’s job was in “serious peril.” On Thursday, Buha stated on The Athletic’s NBA Show podcast that Ham would likely be fired by the end of the week and perhaps sooner (hat tip to RealGM).

Ham had two years remaining on his contract, which reportedly paid him $5MM annually. He has “a lot of supporters throughout the NBA,” tweets Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com.

A two-time Coach of the Year with Atlanta and Milwaukee, Budenholzer won a championship with the Bucks in 2021. He was dismissed last summer following a first-round playoff exit.

Atkinson is another former head coach, having previously worked for Brooklyn. He backed out of Charlotte’s coaching vacancy a couple years ago after being offered the job.

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And-Ones: All-In Teams, Second Apron, Paris, Larkin

May 3rd, 2024 at 11:35am CST by Rory Maher

The Suns, Lakers and Heat have all mortgaged significant future assets and spent a lot of money to make themselves better in the present, yet none of the three won 50 games in the regular season and they combined to win just two playoff games before being eliminated in the first round, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic.

As Hollinger details, all three teams face difficult questions entering the offseason, with Phoenix’s long-term outlook particularly problematic. Still, the best course of action for all three might be making relatively minor moves instead of going even more all-in than they already are, says Hollinger.

In the short-term, Miami is probably in the worst position of the three teams from a talent perspective, according to Hollinger, but the Heat have better young players than Phoenix and L.A. and have proven adept at developing undrafted free agents.

Seven of the NBA’s 10 biggest spenders in 2023/24 have already been eliminated from championship contention, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Those teams are, in order, the Warriors (No. 1), Suns (No. 3), Bucks (No. 5), Heat (No. 7), Lakers (No. 8), Pelicans (No. 9) and Sixers (No. 10).

The Clippers, who had the league’s second-highest payroll this season, also trail their first-round series with Dallas, Marks observes. Only the Celtics (No. 4) and Nuggets (No. 6) have advanced to the second round.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:salary cap

  • Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports takes a closer look at the NBA’s second tax apron, a new addition to last year’s CBA. The most restrictive aspects of the second apron will kick in this offseason, Fischer notes.
  • The NBA confirmed in a press release that Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will face Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers for a pair of regular season games in Paris next year. The games in France’s capital will be held on January 23 and January 25, 2025.
  • Guard Shane Larkin, who played four NBA seasons with Dallas, New York, Brooklyn and Boston from 2013-18, has signed a four-year extension with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter). The 31-year-old has been one of the best players in Europe over the past several years, averaging 16.8 PPG, 5.1 APG, 2.9 RPG and 1.1 SPG on .464/.395/.912 shooting in 34 EuroLeague contests in ’23/24 (31.7 MPG).
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L.A. Notes: LeBron, Bronny, George, Harden, Lue

May 1st, 2024 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James‘ desire to play with his son Bronny James next season may be overstated, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said during an appearance on NBA Today on Tuesday (YouTube link). Citing his conversations with agent Rich Paul, Wojnarowski suggested that if Bronny decides to remain in the 2024 draft, the James family is more focused on getting him into the right developmental situation rather than steering him toward the Lakers.

“The idea of them playing together is not a priority. It’s not foremost – at least any longer – in LeBron James’ mind,” Wojnarowski said. “… If (Bronny) does go in the draft, he very likely would spend next year in the G League.

“… I think that’s the priority for them as a family, what’s best for Bronny James. And if it ends up them together, that would be great, but I don’t get a sense it’s playing much – if any – role in LeBron James’ decision on next season.”

Wojnarowski’s comments on NBA Today represented the latest in a series of reports about LeBron’s motivations and potential player option decision entering the offseason. James, who shut down that line of conversation following Monday’s Game 5 loss to Denver, took to Twitter on Tuesday in another attempt to quell the speculation about his contract situation.

“I’ve seen, heard a lot of reports about my future,” James wrote. “I said it last night and I’ll say it again. I do not know yet as I’m only thinking about spending time with my family and friends! When I know after speaking with the fam, my counsel, as well as my representation about it then you guys will know.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:

  • The Lakers are spending the day on Wednesday conducting exit interviews with their players, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who tweets that the team is still going through the process of evaluating its season — and evaluating head coach Darvin Ham. Reporting earlier this week indicated that Ham’s job is very much in jeopardy but that the team will take a few days to finalize a decision.
  • Appearing on ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast with Brian Windhorst (YouTube link), Ramona Shelburne identified the Magic as another team (along with the Sixers) that is “paying very close attention” to Paul George‘s contract situation entering the 2024 offseason. Teammate Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers agreed to an extension worth a little less than the max earlier this year, but George has yet to reach an agreement on a similar deal and could become a free agent in July. “It’s just a matter of whether the Clippers are gonna give him the max, which is something they don’t want to do because they didn’t give it to Kawhi,” Windhorst said (hat tip to NBC Sports).
  • Weighing James Harden‘s underwhelming playoff history against his poised, disciplined performance during the Clippers‘ first four games against Dallas this spring, Jim Trotter of The Athletic considers whether or not it’s time to start believing in the postseason version of the veteran guard.
  • With Tyronn Lue seemingly unfazed by the absence of Leonard for much of the first round so far, Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times explores how the rest of the Clippers have adopted the steady, even-keeled demeanor of their head coach.
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Lakers Notes: LeBron, Bronny, Trade Market, Vanderbilt, D-Lo, More

April 30th, 2024 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

While Darvin Ham‘s future – or lack thereof – with the Lakers figures to be a hot topic this week, what happens this offseason with LeBron James figures to have the more significant impact on the franchise in 2024/25 and beyond.

James is considered likely to play for a couple more seasons, one source briefed on his thinking tells Shams Charania, Jovan Buha, and Sam Amick of The Athletic, so retirement is extremely unlikely. He’ll have a decision to make on a ’24/25 player option worth more than $51MM and both routes – opting in or out – remain on the table, per The Athletic’s reporters, who say the four-time MVP would like to get a sense of how the Lakers’ offseason is playing out before finalizing a decision by the June 29 deadline.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin hears that team officials didn’t have any real sense, as of last week, of what James will do with his contract, but both he and The Athletic’s trio agree that the Lakers want to bring back the star forward. LeBron’s relationship with Lakers ownership is “better than ever,” according to Charania, Buha, and Amick, and the front office would be open to discussing any contract scenario, including the maximum three-year, $164MM deal it can offer, team sources tell The Athletic.

“He’s not the problem here,” a high-ranking team official told The Athletic.

What did James have to say after Monday’s season-ending loss when asked about his contract situation? Not a whole lot, as McMenamin relays.

“I don’t have an answer … to be honest,” James said. “I haven’t given it much thought. … We’ll cross that when we need to.”

Asked if Monday’s loss might have been his last game as a Laker, LeBron replied, “I’m not going to answer that.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Team sources tell Charania, Buha, and Amick that the Lakers are “very open” to the idea of potentially drafting Bronny James to help LeBron fulfill his dream of playing with his son. The Lakers currently hold the No. 55 pick in the 2024 draft — they’ll also have No. 17 if the Pelicans opt to defer the L.A. pick they’re owed until next season.
  • The Lakers are expected to be aggressive in the trade market this offseason, per Charania, Buha, and Amick, who reiterate that Hawks guard Trae Young is viewed one of the team’s “many” potential targets. Young’s backcourt mate Dejounte Murray will also be discussed, says Dan Woike of The Los Angles Times.
  • As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer notes, the Lakers will be able to trade up to three first-round picks this summer and have some appealing contracts that they could include in a deal, but there are other teams with larger collections of first-round picks who could potentially outbid L.A. for a star. League sources expect the Jazz and Pelicans to be among those who will be aggressive in trade talks, O’Connor adds.
  • Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who had been sidelined since February 1 due to a right foot injury, was available to play in Game 5 on Monday, but he didn’t see any action, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Like teammate Christian Wood, who was available for Games 4 and 5 but didn’t play, Vanderbilt should enter the offseason relatively healthy.
  • Speaking on Monday to reporters, including Price (Twitter link), D’Angelo Russell said he hasn’t made a decision yet on his $18.7MM player option for 2024/25, but acknowledged that he has some leverage and indicated he plans to take advantage of it. Despite the Lakers’ disappointing early exit, Russell was proud of his season on a personal level, per McMenamin. “Hell of a year by D’Angelo. Humbly saying that,” he said. “Through the ups and downs, through all the whatever you want to call it, it never bothered me. I always kept myself sane.”
  • After joining the Lakers on the buyout market in the second half of the season, L.A. native Spencer Dinwiddie said on Monday that he’d love to return if the team is interested in re-signing him (Twitter link via Buha).
  • Elsewhere on the Lakers front, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) previews the team’s offseason decisions, Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times argues that the club needs to do whatever it takes to bring back James, and Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times describes the Lakers as a mediocre team with no clear path back to contender status.
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Darvin Ham’s Position With Lakers In ‘Serious Peril’

April 30th, 2024 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

Darvin Ham‘s position with the Lakers is in “serious peril” following the team’s elimination from the playoffs on Monday, according to Shams Charania, Jovan Buha, and Sam Amick of The Athletic. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin agrees, citing league sources who say that Ham’s head coaching job is “very much in jeopardy.”

The Athletic’s reporters and McMenamin both say that the Lakers will take a few days to review the situation and assess what went wrong this season before making a decision on Ham’s future.

Although the Lakers finished with more regular season wins (47) than they did a year ago when they made the conference finals (43), there was a sense that this year’s team lacked an “effective direction” from the coaching staff at times, per The Athletic, and there were people within the organization confused by the way that Ham used his starting lineup and rotation over the course of the season.

As both The Athletic and McMenamin detail, Ham used a series of starting groups earlier in 2023/24 that frequently featured players like Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish, often at the expense of players that the franchise viewed more as part of its core, such as Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell.

There was a sense that Prince and Reddish were given opportunities to play through their mistakes that Reaves, Hachimura, Russell, and others weren’t, per The Athletic, and some team sources suggested to ESPN that the Lakers would have finished with a better record – and a higher playoff seed – if they had stuck to a starting lineup of Reaves, Hachimura, and Russell alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis earlier in the season.

“The job of a coach is to make the best out of what you have,” a team source told McMenamin. “And he wasn’t doing that.”

Reporting from both The Athletic and ESPN also pointed to Ham’s response to a post-Game 2 comment from Davis (“We have stretches where we just don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor”) as troubling. Rather than downplay – or even agree with – Davis’ comment, Ham took exception, praising his coaching staff and telling reporters that he would “agree to disagree” with his star big man.

Team sources told The Athletic that Ham’s rebuttal unnecessarily amplified Davis’ initial comment and questioned whether engaging in a back-and-forth with one of the franchise’s cornerstones was a good idea. A club source who spoke to McMenamin, meanwhile, was “confounded” by Ham’s lack of accountability and questioned the wisdom of praising the preparedness of his staff after the Nuggets had run their winning streak vs. the Lakers to 10 games.

According to The Athletic, the contract Ham signed in 2022 was a four-year deal worth approximately $5MM per season, so there are still two seasons left on it. If they make a coaching change, the Lakers would eat the remainder of that contract.

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LeBron James’ Agent: Two Or Three Years Left In Tank

April 29th, 2024 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James‘ longtime agent believes he’s still got a couple of years left. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said in Sirius XM NBA Radio interview (Twitter link) with Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine doesn’t think the Lakers superstar is pondering retirement after the season.

“He’s had an unbelievable career. I think we do see him next year,” Paul said. “How many more after that? I do not know. But I think he’s got two or three years left in the tank, maybe.”

James will turn 40 on New Year’s Eve. He holds a player option of $51.4MM for next season. He could pick up that option and negotiate an extension or decline it and pursue a new contract as an unrestricted free agent

The four-time MVP averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 rebounds while appearing in 71 regular-season games. He has continued to play heavy, productive minutes in the playoffs.

James has often stated he’d like to last long enough to play with his son Bronny James, who has declared for the draft. But Bronny’s uneven season at USC after rehabbing from a heart condition dropped his draft stock. The plan is for Bronny to visit and work out for NBA teams, then decide based on the feedback he receives whether to remain in the draft and go pro or return to college for at least one more year.

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Pacific Notes: Harden, Leonard, Russell, Huerter

April 29th, 2024 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers‘ acquisition of James Harden during the opening weeks of the 2023/24 regular season was met with mixed reviews at the time of the trade, then major skepticism after the team lost its first five games with the former MVP in uniform. However, as Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register writes, Harden has been indispensable in the first round for Los Angeles with star forward Kawhi Leonard ailing.

Harden has played over 39 minutes in each of the Clippers’ four playoff games so far. He leads the team in postseason scoring (26.0 PPG), has been L.A.’s top play-maker (7.0 APG), has a scorching hot shooting line of .541/.500/.913, and even leads the club with 1.3 blocked shots per contest.

“That’s what James is here for,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said on Sunday. “When PG or Kawhi or one of our top dogs is out, to be able to step in and fill in and be able to score the basketball, make plays for other guys, make it easier for Norm (Powell) and Zu (Ivica Zubac) and Mace (Mason Plumlee) and those guys.”

Because Harden is in the second season of a two-year contract, he won’t become eligible for an extension before reaching unrestricted free agency this offseason. The Clippers will hold his full Bird rights though, putting them in a good position to bring him back.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • With uncertainty surrounding Leonard’s availability for the rest of the Clippers‘ first-round series, Lue is focused on supporting the star forward rather than bemoaning the fact that the team might have to continue playing without him, per Law Murray of The Athletic. “(He’s) worked hard to get to this point, to a place he wants to be in the playoffs,” Lue said of Kawhi. “And then to be hurt and not be able to be 100 percent and play the way he’s capable of playing, it’s very frustrating for him. I feel bad for him.”
  • The first-round series vs. Denver has been a roller coaster ride for Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, who made just 6-of-20 shots in Game 1 and 0-of-7 in Game 3, but had 44 total points on 51.6% shooting (57.9% on threes) in Games 2 and 4. Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune takes a look at Saturday’s bounce-back performance from Russell, who could become a free agent this summer by turning down his $18.7MM player option for 2024/25. For what it’s worth, L.A. has a +3.6 net rating in D-Lo’s 145 minutes on the court during the series.
  • It was a forgettable year for Kings wing Kevin Huerter, who saw his minutes reduced, shot a career-worst 36.1% on three-point attempts, and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in March. “Frustrating is definitely the word,” Huerter said, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “Even before the injury, just a lot of ups and downs — a lot more downs, I think, than previous years.” On a positive note, the 25-year-old said he’s ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery: “They said 12 weeks out from surgery was (when I can) start shooting, doing on-court stuff. … We’re hoping August is contact. Should be on pace for training camp in September.”
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Woj: Darvin Ham On Hot Seat If Lakers Lose In Five Games

April 28th, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on NBA Countdown prior to Saturday’s Game 4 between the Nuggets and Lakers, which Los Angeles won to stave off elimination and end an 11-game losing streak to the defending champions, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said head coach Darvin Ham will likely find himself on the hot seat if the Lakers lose the series in five games (YouTube link).

“If you are a head coach of the Lakers and you get swept in the first round of the playoffs, or you lose in five, you’ve got job issues. You’ve got job security issues,” Wojnarowski said. “And Darvin Ham will have that.”

As Wojnarowski noted, the Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2022/23, which was Ham’s first year on the job. And they actually won more regular season games this season (47) than last season (43) despite missing Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) and Gabe Vincent (knee) for most of the ’23/24 campaign.

There’s also a question of who would replace Ham if the Lakers let him go. Former Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer is “the most accomplished” name on the open market, but he’s also rumored to be looking for a salary that the Lakers might not be willing to pay, Wojnarowski added.

While Wojnarowski questioned how “fair” it would be for Ham to be fired if the Lakers lose to the Nuggets in five games, he said “it is part of the conversation the Lakers are going to have.”

Game 5 of the first-round series between the West’s No. 2 and 7 seeds will be played on Monday in Denver.

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Lakers Notes: Game 4, Hachimura, Wood, LeBron

April 27th, 2024 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite a 3-0 deficit, the Lakers‘ confidence hasn’t waned going into tonight’s Game 4, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. has dropped its last 11 games to Denver, including seven straight in the playoffs, but the players aren’t convinced that the series is over.

“We have the guys here, we have the talent, for sure. You know, I don’t think anybody can beat us, you know, just the talent-wise,” Rui Hachimura said Friday. “… In my opinion, yes, we have the talent here, we have the guys that can beat any team in this league. And I talked to somebody about it too, but just this first round against Denver, it’s a conference final, it’s the exactly last thing. But even that, it’s the same story. We always up 20 and then we just come back and lose. So we just gotta put everything together and tomorrow we’ll see. We’re gonna play the same way and just gotta continue.”

Coach Darvin Ham isn’t planning any changes to his starting lineup, saying he wants to give his current unit a chance to respond to the challenge that the Nuggets present, Woike adds. Ham, whose job may be in jeopardy if the Lakers can’t rally, described the team as disappointed by its performance so far.

“Guys are irritated, frustrated, fed up, ready to make a change in terms of not continuously going down this road,” Ham said. “And the overall theme was just our mindset. Belabor the problems, what’s gone on up to this point or shift our focus to how do we stay alive? And looking at the film, had a really good first quarter. How can we sustain that type of performance during the duration of the game?”

There’s more on the Lakers:

  • Christian Wood has been medically cleared for tonight’s game, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The backup big man underwent surgery in March after missing about a month before that due to swelling in his left knee. Wood appeared in 50 games and averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per night in the first season of a two-year contract he signed last summer.
  • There was a sharp contrast after Game 3 as Nikola Jokic talked about the long process of building a competitive team and LeBron James questioned what some of his teammates were thinking during the game, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. The stability in Denver may lead to a second straight title, Shelburne adds, while the discord in Los Angeles will likely result in another summer of change.
  • Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report examines what the Lakers might look like if James turns down his $51.4MM player option for next season and signs elsewhere in free agency. If D’Angelo Russell, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish and Wood also opt out and New Orleans takes L.A.’s first-round pick this year, the team would have about $32MM in cap space to work with. Pincus suggests that if Russell picks up his option, he could be part of a trade package to obtain a reliable scorer such as Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell.
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2024 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker

April 27th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With another regular season in the books, multiple teams around the NBA are making head coaching changes in advance of the 2024/25 campaign.

In the space below, we’ll provide regular updates on the head coaching searches for each club that has yet to give anyone the permanent title. Some of these searches could extend well into the offseason, so be sure to check back often for the latest updates.

You’ll be able to access this page anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site, or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu.

Updated 11-6-24 (1:30pm CT)

Active Searches

None

Completed Searches

Brooklyn Nets

  • New coach:
    • Jordi Fernandez (story)
  • Previous coach:
    • Kevin Ollie (interim)
  • Other finalists:
    • Former NBA head coach Mike Budenholzer (story)
    • Suns assistant Kevin Young (story)
  • Also reportedly considered:
    • Pelicans assistant James Borrego (story)
    • Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant (story)
    • Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie (story)
    • Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)

After parting ways with former head coach Jacque Vaughn in February, the Nets launched their head coaching search well before the regular season ended, though they did so in relative secrecy. While they reportedly cast a wide net, considering – and interviewing – many candidates, there were few leaks until word broke on April 13 that it was down to Fernandez, Budenholzer, and Young.

With Budenholzer’s contract demands said to be quite high in terms of both years and dollars, the Nets turned to a first-time NBA head coach, picking Fernandez over Young. While Fernandez has never led an NBA team, he’s not entirely without head coaching experience — he coached the Canton Charge in the G League from 2014-16 and is the current leader of the Canadian national team, which won bronze at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Nets general manager Sean Marks has gone through several head coaches during his tenure in Brooklyn, but this was his most exhaustive search process since he hired Kenny Atkinson back in 2016. Atkinson took over a rebuilding club and got them back to the postseason in his third season. With more foundational pieces in place this time around, the Nets are hoping Fernandez can turn things around even faster.

Charlotte Hornets

  • New coach:
  • Previous coach:
  • Reportedly interviewed:
    • Nuggets assistant David Adelman (story)
    • King assistant Jordi Fernandez (interviewed before being hired by Nets)
    • Kings’ G League head coach Lindsey Harding (story)
    • Rockets assistant Royal Ivey (story)
    • Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga (story)
    • Lakers assistant Jordan Ott (story)
    • ESPN analyst J.J. Redick (story)
    • Former Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse (story)
    • Suns assistant Kevin Young (interviewed before being hired by BYU)
  • Also reportedly considered:
    • Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
    • Jazz assistant Lamar Skeeter (story)

The Hornets were able to get a head start on their head coaching search when Clifford announced during the first week of April that he would be stepping down from his role at season’s end. The team has changed ownership and revamped its front office since Clifford was hired in 2022, so this was new management’s first opportunity to hire a head coach.

The Hornets ultimately chose a familiar face. After being mentioned most frequently as the frontrunner for the job, Celtics assistant Charles Lee agreed to a four-year deal to become Charlotte’s new head coach. Lee, who has received consideration from several teams seeking head coaches in recent years, was an assistant with the Hawks from 2014-18. New Hornets head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson was in Atlanta’s front office at the time, while co-owner Rick Schnall was a minority stakeholder in the Hawks beginning in 2015.

Charlotte, which is building around young players like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, was said to be seeking a first-time head coach who specializes in player development to lead its young squad. Lee, 39, fits that bill and also has some championship experience under his belt, having served as an assistant with the Bucks during their 2021 championship run.

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • New coach:
  • Previous coach:
  • Reportedly interviewed:
    • Nuggets assistant David Adelman (story)
    • Pelicans assistant James Borrego (story)
    • Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant (story)
    • Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori (story)
    • Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
  • Also reportedly considered:
    • Mavericks assistant Alex Jensen (story)
    • Bucks assistant Dave Joerger (story)
    • Former NBA head coach Terry Stotts (story)

Bickerstaff led the Cavaliers to a 48-win season and the franchise’s first playoff series win without LeBron James since 1993. It wasn’t enough to save his job though, with a report following Cleveland’s elimination from the postseason indicating that Donovan Mitchell and other Cavs players didn’t necessarily have full confidence in the veteran coach.

The Cavaliers were said to be seeking a “fresh approach” as they sought to hire a new head coach capable of taking the team deeper into the postseason. Atkinson and Borrego were each identified as the presumed favorite during the process, and it sounded as if Cleveland’s decision came down to the two former head coaches, with Atkinson winning out and receiving a five-year contract.

Atkinson, who previously coached Cavaliers like Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert in Brooklyn, was the choice in part because Cleveland believes he’s the best candidate to bring out the best in rising young star Evan Mobley. He’ll get that opportunity after spending the past three years as Steve Kerr‘s top assistant in Golden State.

Detroit Pistons

  • New coach:
    • J.B. Bickerstaff (story)
  • Previous coach:
  • Reportedly interviewed:
    • Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori (story)
    • Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney (story)
  • Also reportedly considered:
    • Former Pistons assistant Jerome Allen (story)
    • Pelicans assistant James Borrego (withdrew from consideration)
    • Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant (story)
    • Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
    • Former Nets assistant Will Weaver (story)

It was just one year ago that Williams signed a six-year, $78.5MM deal that was the most lucrative contract for a head coach in NBA history. After a dismal season that saw the Pistons go 14-68 and set a new single-season record for longest losing streak (28 games), Detroit replaced Troy Weaver with Trajan Langdon as the new head of basketball operations, then decided on a fresh start on the sidelines as well, eating the estimated $65MM remaining on Williams’ contract.

As last season’s record shows, the Pistons aren’t close to contending, so they didn’t need to target a veteran coach with championship experience. While they’d like to take a step forward sooner rather than later, player development remains the priority in Detroit.

That made Bickerstaff a logical choice. While he was let go in Cleveland in part due to the team’s modest postseason results over the last two years, he played a key role in the developmental process that made Darius Garland and Evan Mobley into an All-Star guard and All-Defensive big man, respectively, and in turning the Cavaliers from a lottery team into a solid playoff club.

Bickerstaff reportedly received a five-year deal from the Pistons that includes four guaranteed seasons.

Los Angeles Lakers

  • New coach:
  • Previous coach:
  • Reportedly interviewed:
    • Nuggets assistant David Adelman (story)
    • Pelicans assistant James Borrego (story)
    • Celtics assistant Sam Cassell (story)
    • Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori (story)
    • Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
  • Also reportedly considered:
    • Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson (story)
    • Former NBA head coach Mike Budenholzer (hired by Suns)
    • UConn head coach Dan Hurley (story)
    • Celtics assistant Charles Lee (hired by Hornets)
    • Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue (extended by Clippers)
    • Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney (story)

Shortly after the Lakers’ season ended, a pair of reports from ESPN and The Athletic classified Ham’s job as being in serious danger and pointed to several specific reasons why. It was clear at that point that Ham wasn’t going to be back in his role as head coach, but the team took three more days to make it official.

Seeking a new head coach to lead a team they still feel is capable of contending, the Lakers reportedly had serious interest in the guy coaching their cross-town rivals. However, the Clippers were said to be highly motivated to retain Lue and backed that up by signing him to a long-term extension.

With Lue off the table, the Lakers cast a wide net and took their time as they consider options ranging from former head coaches (such as Atkinson and Borrego) to veteran assistants (like Adelman, Cassell, and Quinn, among others) to total newcomers (Redick). They reportedly want a “grinder” capable of challenging Lakers players and holding them accountable.

The search took an unexpected turn when a report stated that the Lakers’ top target was actually Hurley, whom L.A. attempted to lure away from the college ranks with a six-year, $70MM deal. However, Hurley passed on that offer in favor of seeking a third consecutive national title at UConn, sending the Lakers back to the drawing board. They ultimately circled back to Redick, who has no coaching experience at the NBA level, agreeing to a four-year, $32MM deal with the ESPN analyst.

Although Redick is LeBron James‘ podcast co-host, reports stated that the Lakers star wasn’t involved in the search and that management was infatuated by Redick’s potential as a coach, given his “basketball IQ” and his “ability to connect with players.” The goal will be to surround him with an experienced coaching staff to help accelerate his learning curve.

Phoenix Suns

  • New coach:
    • Mike Budenholzer (story)
  • Previous coach:

In his first season as the head coach in Phoenix, Vogel led the Suns to a 49-33 record and a top-six seed in a competitive Western Conference. However, the club was quickly eliminated from the playoffs, failing to win a single game against the Timberwolves in the first round.

With little flexibility to make major moves affecting their roster this offseason, the Suns decided to make a head coaching change, dismissing Vogel just one season into the five-year, $31MM contract he signed with the franchise last spring. He’ll be replaced by Budenholzer, another veteran coach with a championship on his résumé.

Word broke that the Suns had decided on Budenholzer less than 24 hours after Vogel was fired, so it’s clear the team had a specific candidate in mind and didn’t feel the need to conduct a lengthy search. There was no indication that Phoenix seriously considered anyone else besides the former Bucks head coach, who reportedly agreed to a five-year contract worth in excess of $50MM.

Washington Wizards

  • New coach:
  • Previous coach:
    • Brian Keefe (interim); replaced Wes Unseld Jr. during season (story)
  • Reportedly interviewed:
    • Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson (story)
  • Also reportedly considered:
    • Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson (story)
    • Rockets assistant Royal Ivey (story)
    • Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
    • Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney (story)

The Wizards technically made their head coaching change in January, when they removed Unseld from his position and had him transition into a front office role. Keefe was promoted from assistant coach to head coach at that time and was ultimately named Unseld’s permanent replacement in May.

It’s a little surprising that Washington’s new front office, led by president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins, ultimately ended up landing on the in-house option who posted an 8-31 record after taking over for Unseld. But Keefe improved the defense in the second half and is known as a player development specialist, which was the priority for a rebuilding Wizards club.

It’s unclear whether any other candidates received serious consideration for the job. While a May 10 story indicated that interviews would begin soon, there were few leaks throughout the process and little indication of which other contenders received interviews.

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