Bob Beyer

Lakers Notes: Osman, James, Davis, Redick, Coaching Staff

Cedi Osman did not turn down a training camp invite from the Lakers before signing with Panathinaikos in Greece, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

A Eurohoops.net report indicated Osman had an offer on the table from the Lakers to join the team for training camp but that he turned it down without having assurances he’d make the regular season roster. Stein’s report suggests that wasn’t the case.

The Lakers already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts and are less than $50K away from exceeding the second apron, so even if Osman had joined them in training camp, it wouldn’t have made sense to retain him on a standard contract. Osman hopes he can play his way back to the NBA next season, Stein adds.

We have more on the Lakers:

  • Head coach J.J. Redick isn’t concerned about LeBron James and Anthony Davis shortening their usual offseason regimens after playing in the Paris Olympics, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com relays via a ‘Spectrum’s Lakeshow Podcast.’ “I mean, look, those guys are professionals in every sense of the word,” Redick said. “My concern for them about whether or not they’ll be ready to play on Oct. 22 and be in shape, I don’t have that concern. We’re gonna work with (athletic trainer Mike Mancias and associate athletic trainer Jon Ishop) making sure that they feel that they’re in a great place to start the regular season. They’ll certainly be involved in training camp and the preseason here in September, as well as preseason games.”
  • Former head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks are among the assistants on Redick’s staff. The first-year head coach is thrilled with what he’s seen so far, Starkand notes from the same podcast. “I couldn’t be happier with the staff that we’ve built here, we have a blend of youth, experience,” Redick said. “Obviously Nate and Scotty, but also Bob Beyer, who has been at the front of the bench for almost two decades in the NBA. The biggest thing for me was I wanted to make sure I had a bunch of sickos on my staff and I think I’ve accomplished that. They’re grinders.”
  • In case you missed it, Christian Wood required knee surgery that will sideline him for the early weeks of the season. Get the details here.

Lakers Officially Announce Redick’s Coaching Staff

The Lakers have formally announced the coaching staff that will work under J.J. Redick during his first season in Los Angeles, issuing a press release to confirm its assistant coaching hires.

Most of the Lakers’ hires, headlined by former NBA head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks, have been previously reported, but here’s the full list of assistants in one place:

  • McMillan, who has compiled a 760-668 (.532) career regular season record as the head coach of the SuperSonics, Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Hawks.
  • Brooks, who most recently served as an assistant in Portland and was a longtime head coach in Oklahoma City and Washington. He had a 521-414 (.557) regular season record and a 49-48 (.505) postseason mark, having led the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012.
  • Bob Beyer, a veteran assistant who spent time with the Raptors, Magic, Warriors, Bobcats, Pistons, Thunder, Kings, Pelicans, and Hornets from 2003-24.
  • Greg St. Jean, who was a Lakers player development coach from 2019-21 before spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach in Dallas (2021-23) and Phoenix (2023/24).
  • Lindsey Harding, the reigning G League Coach of the Year for the Stockton Kings and the first full-time female assistant coach in Lakers franchise history.
  • Beau Levesque, who has held the title of player development coordinator with the Clippers for the past four seasons.

The Lakers also announced that they hired Michael Wexler as their head video coordinator. He was a coaching associate last season with the Suns and previously served as the head video coordinator for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

The Lakers’ goal was to surround Redick, a first-time NBA coach, with an experienced staff that could help him learn the ropes, which is why the club targeted former head coaches like McMillan and Brooks and a longtime assistant like Beyer to lead the group.

“Through an international and thorough process, we’ve brought together an experienced, diverse, and dedicated coaching staff,” Redick said in a statement. “Our goal from day one is about fostering a high-performing environment of player development and team alignment through relentless work, daily collaboration and innovation. Players and staff are here to enjoy the pursuit of excellence every time they step on the court. The expectations are clear, and my staff and I are committed to doing everything we need to do to ensure success at the highest level.”

Lindsey Harding To Join Lakers’ Coaching Staff

Lindsey Harding is leaving the Kings organization to join the Lakers’ coaching staff, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Last season, Harding was named G League Coach of the Year in her first season with the Stockton Kings. The previous four years, Harding was as an assistant/player development coach with the NBA’s Kings.

She will be the first full-time female assistant coach in Lakers’ history, according to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register.

New Lakers head coach J.J. Redick and Harding are Duke alums. Harding was a player development coach and pro personnel scout with the Sixers when Redick played for Philadelphia from 2017-19.

Harding interviewed for the Hornets’ head coaching job this offseason. Charlotte wound up hiring Boston assistant Charles Lee.

Harding has also coached the Mexican women’s national team since 2022 and previously served in the same role for South Sudan’s women’s team.

Former Hornets assistant coach Bob Beyer is also expected to join Redick’s staff, The Athletic’s Johan Buha reports. Beyer has been in attendance for multiple Lakers summer league games.

Former head coaches Nate McMillan and Scott Brooks will reportedly be Redick’s top assistants.

Hornets Announce Coaching Staff

The Hornets have finalized the coaching staff under Steve Clifford, who is returning as the team’s head coach after a four-year absence.

Tyrone Corbin will be Clifford’s lead assistant, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Corbin, 59, has 16 years of coaching experience and spent three years on Clifford’s staff in Orlando. He has been a head coach with both the Jazz and Kings, compiling a career record of 119-167.

Also new to the staff in Charlotte will be Bob Beyer, Rex Walters, Bruce Kreutzer and Brian O’Connor.

Beyer was an assistant to Clifford during his first stint with the Hornets and most recently worked for the Pelicans. Walters is a former college and G League head coach who spent time as an assistant with the Pistons and Pelicans. Kreutzer served on Clifford’s staffs in both Charlotte and Orlando and has been a shooting consultant with the Sixers. O’Connor spent the past five seasons as an assistant at Georgetown and served as an intern with the Hornets five years ago.

Jay Hernandez, Nick Friedman, Norman Richardson and Marlon Garnett will be retained from James Borrego‘s staff last season.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Beal, Wizards, Magic, Hornets

Dejounte Murray is excited to team up with Trae Young and had been talking to his new partner in the Hawks‘ backcourt about the possibility for the past two to three weeks, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Speaking at press conference Friday, Murray said Atlanta was the only team he wanted to join and told reporters that he probably would still be with the Spurs if it hadn’t been for the opportunity with the Hawks.

Atlanta paid a premium price to acquire Murray, sending Danilo Gallinari and a sizable package of draft assets to San Antonio. General manager Landry Fields said the Hawks took time to assess the risks before committing to the trade.

“This wasn’t one of those that came about in a day,” Fields said. “Looking at what we were going to part with up front was one thing and then once we started to engage with San Antonio, it turned into another thing. We took time between talks to sit and think about how this was going to impact us in the future, how was this going to impact our current team, projection-wise what we are going to look like in several years, after factoring all of that in, we got to a place we were comfortable with.”

Here are some other notes from the Southeast Division:

  • Justin Holiday and Maurice Harkless, who are being acquired from the Kings in the Kevin Huerter trade, are both expected to be on the Hawks’ opening night roster. Kirschner adds. He also states that Atlanta continues to listen to offers for John Collins.
  • The Wizards were able to retain star free agent Bradley Beal in free agency, but questions remain about whether it was the right move for the team, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. Washington agreed to a five-year, $251MM deal with the three-time All-Star, prompting Robbins to explore whether keeping Beal at that price will keep the Wizards stuck in mediocrity due to their limited cap flexibility.
  • The Magic‘s free agency moves further prove the team believes in its young core, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Orlando reached agreements with Mohamed Bamba, Gary Harris and Bol Bol, and guaranteed Moritz Wagner‘s salary. The team appears ready to run it back and continue developing its own players rather than adding outside help.
  • The Hornets are expected to hire Tyrone Corbin and Bob Beyer to Steve Clifford‘s coaching staff, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets. Corbin worked for Clifford in Orlando, while Beyer coached under Clifford in Charlotte. Corbin and Beyer hold over 30 years of combined NBA coaching experience.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Pelicans Hire Beyer, Hill, Walters For Van Gundy’s Staff

The Pelicans announced on Monday they have hired Bob Beyer, Casey Hill, and Rex Walters to join Stan Van Gundy’s staff, according to a team press release.

The addition of Beyer was previously reported and comes as no surprise. Beyer has a long history with Van Gundy, serving as an assistant in Orlando and Detroit for a combined nine seasons. He was on the Kings’ staff last season.

Hill was an assistant with the Clippers the past two seasons. Walters had a stint on Van Gundy’s staff in Detroit and served as an assistant at Wake Forest last season.

In another significant development, Van Gundy has promoted former WNBA great Teresa Weatherspoon to the staff. She was a two-way player development coach last season in New Orleans.

Longtime NBA players Corey Brewer and Beno Udrih have been hired as player development coaches. Fred Vinson has been retained as an assistant, while Darnell Lazare will remain as a player development coach.

Bob Beyer Joining Stan Van Gundy In New Orleans

Kings assistant Bob Beyer will be part of Stan Van Gundy’s new coaching staff with the Pelicans, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Beyer previously worked with Van Gundy in both Orlando and Detroit.

Beyer, 58, who has been an NBA assistant since 2007, spent the past season in Sacramento after being hired last summer. In addition to the Magic and Pistons, he has also spent time on coaching staffs in Oklahoma City, Charlotte, Golden State and Toronto.

The Kings lost another assistant coach in July when Igor Kokoskov left to become head coach of Fenerbahce in the EuroLeague. That opening was filled by former Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry, who was replaced by Van Gundy.

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Caroline, Fall, Kings’ Staff

Mychal Thompson, father of Warriors star Klay Thompson, said there’s “no question” Klay will re-sign with Golden State, Connor Letourneau‏ of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The Warriors are expected to offer him a full five-year maximum deal worth nearly $190MM despite Thompson’s knee injury during Game 6 on Thursday. Thompson suffered a torn left ACL and is expected to miss most of next season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Kings Add Three To Coaching Staff

The Kings have made several additions to their coaching staff. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link), the team has added Bob Beyer, Jesse Mermuys and Roy Rana as assistant coaches.

Beyer most recently coached under Billy Donovan in Oklahoma City. He previously was in Detroit under Stan Van Gundy.

Mermuys follows new Kings head coach Luke Walton from Los Angeles to Sacramento, having spent the last three seasons with the Lakers.

Rana is a long-time Canadian coach who leads the country’s under-18 and under-19 national teams.

Walton joined the Kings after mutually parting ways with the Lakers. Sacramento is expected to add even more staff in the coming weeks.

Western Notes: Porter Jr., Randle, Lakers, Kings

Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. remained extremely active with the team during his rookie season despite missing the entire campaign due to injury, staying vocal on the bench and doing his part in helping the team succeed.

Porter, 20, underwent a second back surgery last summer that ultimately cost him his rookie season. He was selected by Denver with the 14th overall pick in the draft last June.

“To be honest, going into the season, I didn’t really expect myself to be able to play at 100 percent if I was to come play,” Porter said last week, according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post. “But like, the way I feel now, it’s leaps and bounds beyond where I thought I’d be at this point. I feel so good. … I feel like I’m a better player than I’ve ever been.”

Despite not seeing any NBA action yet, Porter has impressed his teammates with his confidence, swagger and character during his rookie season. The next four or five months will be important for him, as Singer notes he’s expected to make his professional debut at the Las Vegas Summer League in July.

“What I’ve seen from Michael this year in flashes, is a guy with tremendous size and length, that’s got deep range, that can shoot the ball, that can put the ball on the floor and has great athleticism to finish at the rim,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “This will be a really big summer for Michael.”

There’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:

  • Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News examines whether it’s time for the Mavericks to bring Julius Randle back home in free agency this summer. Randle, who’s expected to decline his $9MM player option to become an unrestricted free agent on June 30, was born in Texas and could fit with the young duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Dallas could also pursue a point guard on the open market, such as Charlotte’s Kemba Walker.
  • The Lakers have hired Judy Seto as director of sports performance, the team announced on Friday. Seto, who served as the team’s head physical therapist from 2011-16, will oversee the medical care and optimize the health and performance of Lakers players while reporting directly to general manager Rob Pelinka.
  • The Kings have expressed interest in Thunder assistant coach Bob Beyer, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Beyer has been an NBA assistant since 2007, making stops with Orlando, Golden State, Charlotte and Detroit before joining Oklahoma City last year. He also served as an assistant with the Raptors during the 2003/04 season.