J.J. Redick

Stein’s Latest: Van Gundy, Cassell, Lakers, Cavaliers

Current Celtics special adviser Jeff Van Gundy, who’s just one win away from claiming his first NBA championship, is being eyed as a possible assistant coach for recently extended Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, sources tell longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack link).

Van Gundy is being considered to replace former Clippers assistant coach Dan Craig, who is headed to the Bulls. According to Stein, L.A. team president Lawrence Frank has long been an appreciator of Van Gundy’s acumen. Van Gundy last coached in the NBA for the Rockets in 2006/07, though he has been serving on USA Basketball’s staff since 2017.

Here’s more from Stein:

  • Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell, one of the remaining contenders for the Lakers’ head coaching vacancy, had been viewed as a possibility to reunite with Doc Rivers on the Bucks this offseason. Now, with ex-Los Angeles head coach Darvin Ham back in Milwaukee, it is considered more likely that Cassell with remain in Boston, assuming he doesn’t get a head coaching job (the Cavaliers also have an opening). Rivers has worked with Cassell as an assistant off and on for nine seasons.
  • ESPN broadcaster J.J. Redick and Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego are still seen as the leading contenders to land the Lakers‘ head coaching gig, sources inform Stein. He adds that the Cavaliers, meanwhile, seem to be honing in on Borrego and Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.

Lakers To Interview Redick This Weekend For Head Coaching Job

The Lakers, still recovering from Dan Hurley‘s decision to stay at UConn, have turned back to J.J. Redick in their search for a head coach.

They will formally interview Redick for the position this weekend. If it goes well, Redick is expected to become the frontrunner to replace Darvin Ham, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Prior to their courtship of Hurley, in which they offered him a six-year deal, the Lakers seemed to be zeroing in on Redick, who has been serving as a color commentator for ABC and ESPN during the Finals.

According to Wojnarowski, Redick spoke with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka last month for approximately 90 minutes at the Chicago draft combine. They have also been in contact in recent days, with Pelinka explaining to Redick why the franchise chose to pursue Hurley.

Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss, as well as other front office personnel, will now hold a lengthy meeting with Redick to discuss the position in greater detail.

Several reports in recent weeks had pegged the longtime NBA guard as the Lakers’ top choice despite his lack of coaching experience. Redick also hosts a podcast with LeBron James, who must decide this month whether to opt in to the final year of his contract or become a free agent.

The only other candidate who has been prominently mentioned is Pelicans assistant James Borrego, who interviewed for the Cavaliers’ head coaching job on Tuesday.

One of the reasons why the Lakers were enamored with Hurley was an increased focus on player development. Pelinka still views that as a priority for the next coaching staff, per Wojnarowski. The GM is also seeking an innovative coach who can design schemes to maximize Anthony Davis at both ends of the floor.

Lakers Notes: Hurley, LeBron, Redick, Coaching Search

After turning down a lucrative offer to become the Lakers‘ head coach, UConn’s Dan Hurley issued a statement saying that he was “humbled by this entire experience” and remains committed to pursuing more championships with the Huskies (Twitter link).

Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday (YouTube link), Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN explained that there were multiple reasons why Hurley decided to remain in Connecticut instead of making the move to Los Angeles. The unique opportunity to become the first college coach since UCLA’s John Wooden over 50 years ago to lead a team to three consecutive national titles was one important consideration, according to Wojnarowski, but it wasn’t the only one.

“Dan Hurley really studied everything that was required to be an NBA coach and the adjustments he was going to have to make,” Woj said (hat tip to RealGM). “As much as the Lakers wanted what Dan Hurley brought — his program building, his player development, the way he can forge relationships with players, the great X’s-and-O’s acumen. He’s running a lot of stuff in college that’s been intriguing to NBA coaches that they want to steal from a little bit. For all of that, Dan Hurley was going to have to adjust and knew that he had to be ready to make the adjustments in temperament, in practice time, all the things that come with being an NBA coach from college basketball. And, ultimately, Dan Hurley wasn’t there yet on doing that.”

Wojnarowski went on to say that Hurley “loved what he heard” from Lakers leaders like Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka, and liked the idea of coaching star forwards Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the short term and getting to draft and develop “Hurley-type” prospects in the long term. However, he ultimately decided he wasn’t ready to make the move to the NBA.

Wojnarowski also pushed back on the idea that Hurley was using the Lakers for leverage purposes to get a more lucrative deal with UConn.

“He had negotiated a new (UConn) deal for himself with his agent weeks ago,” Woj said. “That’s going to be, I’m told, kind of in the $8MM+ (per year) range. It’ll put him among the highest-paid coaches in college basketball. But they never negotiated off that, or leveraged off that with the Lakers. The Lakers (opportunity) was a singular moment for Dan Hurley and it wasn’t about getting his UConn number up. It already was up, and that was before UConn even knew about the Laker conversations.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • Following Hurley’s rejection of the Lakers, will James follow suit by turning down his player option for 2024/25 and seeking a change of scenery? Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer explores that topic, arguing that parting ways now might be in the best long-term interests of both LeBron and the Lakers, though it’s considered unlikely to happen.
  • Jim Alexander of The Orange County Register contends that Hurley’s decision to pass on the opportunity to coach the Lakers shouldn’t come as a surprise, while Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times rips the Lakers for their failed pursuit of UConn’s head coach, describing it as a “humiliating” sequence of events for a franchise whose “reputation is diminishing.”
  • ESPN’s Brian Windhorst isn’t quite as harsh in his assessment of the Lakers’ situation, pointing out that things in Los Angeles looked worse than this in 2019, when their new head coaching hire (Frank Vogel) was widely known to be their third choice and franchise legend Magic Johnson was referring to Pelinka as a backstabber following Johnson’s exit from the front office. They won a title a year later.
  • Within his column on the Lakers’ situation, Windhorst says the team’s contact with J.J. Redick was “minimal” leading up to the team’s pursuit of Hurley. While the Lakers could circle back to Redick, going after Hurley may signal that they were lukewarm on the available crop of head coaching candidates, according to Windhorst, who wonders if the franchise might pursue another coach from the college ranks.
  • When Wojnarowski first reported the Lakers’ interest last week, he stated that Hurley had been at the “forefront of the Lakers’ search from the beginning of the process.” Appearing on FanDuel’s Run it Back show on Tuesday (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of The Athletic – who previously identified Redick as the frontrunner – seemed to disagree with that claim. “Last week, on Wednesday, they turned their attention, I’m told, to Dan Hurley,” Charania said. “He was not the No. 1 candidate, the No. 1 guy to go pursue from the start. But they felt like there was an opening there.” Charania added that people around the league don’t “have a great feel” for where the Lakers’ search is headed next.

Lakers To Meet With Dan Hurley On Friday

UConn coach Dan Hurley is traveling to California to meet with Lakers leadership – including team owner Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka – on Friday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the team is “eager to close” on a deal that would make Hurley its next head coach.

After initially reporting early on Thursday morning that the Lakers have prioritized Hurley in their head coaching search, Wojnarowski says the team’s pursuit of the two-time national champion has “accelerated.” Sources tell ESPN that the two sides have already talked about what a potential deal would look like — Woj notes that it would be “significant” in terms of both years and salary.

Hurley let UConn administrators know on Wednesday and told his players on Thursday that he was exploring his options with the Lakers. While he hasn’t made any decisions yet, there’s “momentum” in his talks with the Lakers, sources tell Wojnarowski.

Woj stated during a TV appearance on Thursday (Twitter video link) that he expects resolution on the Hurley front within the next few days – perhaps by the end of the weekend or early next week – since the coach won’t want to leave the Huskies hanging for too long.

We have more on Hurley and Lakers after passing along several Hurley-related notes this afternoon:

  • The Lakers’ interest in Hurley wasn’t just kept secret from the public until Thursday morning — many people within the organization weren’t even aware of that interest, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Hurley’s name began coming up in internal conversations about head coaching candidates last week, but he seemed like a long shot at that time, Buha adds.
  • Buha describes Hurley as a legitimate candidate for the Lakers’ job and perhaps the favorite over J.J. Redick, who was considered the frontrunner as recently as Wednesday. However, sources tell The Athletic that the search is “far from settled” and that Redick is still a very viable candidate.
  • Longtime Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has advised the Lakers during their coaching search, and his connection to Redick (a former Blue Devil) was believed to be a major consideration for Los Angeles. However, as Buha observes, Krzyzewski also coached Hurley’s brother Bobby and has a strong relationship with the UConn head coach. Krzyzewski’s belief in Hurley is one of the factors that has convinced the Lakers to aggressively pursue him, Buha writes.
  • Wojnarowski said during a TV appearance on Thursday that he believes the Lakers would be “far more likely” to draft LeBron James‘ son Bronny James if they end up hiring Hurley. “When you talk about LeBron James and the impact this has for him, I think this is the first significant action the Lakers have taken to show you they are actually very serious about drafting Bronny James at 55,” Wojnarowski said (YouTube link). “Because they do see Dan Hurley as the perfect coach to guide his development.”
  • Veteran columnist Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times, who previously argued against the idea of the Lakers hiring Redick as their head coach, strongly endorsed Hurley for the job, referring to it as a “no-brainer.”

Latest On Dan Hurley, Lakers

UConn head coach Dan Hurley confirmed to his players on Thursday morning that he’s been in discussions about becoming the new head coach of the Lakers, a source tells John Fanta of Fox Sports (Twitter link).

According to Fanta, Hurley “didn’t want to hide” the news from the team, since it’s legitimate, but cautioned that nothing has been finalized. Dana O’Neil of The Athletic confirms Fanta’s report (via Twitter), adding that UConn has yet to restructure Hurley’s contract after becoming a back-to-back champion in 2024. Hurley received a six-year, $32MM extension after the Huskies won the title in 2023.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this morning that L.A. is preparing a “massive, long-term” offer to Hurley — a surprising development after multiple outlets had pegged former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst J.J. Redick as the frontrunner for the job.

Hurley has discussed his desire to transition to the NBA multiple times, per Wojnarowski, and did so again on Wednesday during an appearance on the Mike Francesa podcast (YouTube link).

I do aspire one day, if the right NBA situation were to come along, to really testing myself…where an organization wants a tone-setter to come in and instill a culture with young players and an organization that wants to pursue championships,” Hurley said (Twitter link via Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer).

Here’s more on Hurley and the Lakers’ coaching search:

  • According to Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico, Hurley’s contract with UConn stipulates that he would have to give back $1.875MM if he were hired by NBA team (Twitter link). That figure rises to $7.5MM if he were to leave for a rival NCAA team during the same time period (April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025).
  • ESPN’s Pete Thamel explores whether Hurley could be successful if he is ultimately offered and accepts the job to become the Lakers’ new head coach, while five ESPN insiders — including Thamel — examine how Hurley could impact L.A., LeBron James and his son Bronny James. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst refers to Hurley as a “high-risk, high-reward” candidate who is undeniably talented but lacks experience at the NBA level. It’s worth noting that LeBron has publicly lauded Hurley’s basketball acumen — ironically while he was being interviewed by Redick.
  • A source tells ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that LeBron James hasn’t talked to the Lakers about Hurley, Redick or any other candidate (Twitter links). According to McMenamin, James has stressed that the Lakers need to make a long-term decision on a coach who could be with the organization beyond the next couple seasons — the 39-year-old impending free agent is only expected to play for one or two more years.
  • Shams Charania of The Athletic — one of the reporters who repeatedly pegged Redick as the favorite — says L.A. is still trying to convince Hurley to take the job, and a decision isn’t imminent. “The Lakers have started working to convince Dan Hurley, the UConn coach, the back-to-back champion, to take their head coaching job,” Charania said on Run It Back (YouTube link), per RealGM. “I’m told it’s likely that Hurley will make a decision over the next week or so — likely goes into next week on a decision.”
  • Appearing on the GoJo and Golic show (Twitter video link), Redick declined to comment on all of the reports linking him to the Lakers. However, he did seem to take umbrage with Charania. My focus is on the NBA Finals. In terms of Shams, that will be addressed once the season is over. I’ll just say that,” Redick said, before later adding: “I don’t mean any job, I mean Shams. After the season.”

Lakers Targeting Dan Hurley In Head Coaching Search

The Lakers are targeting UConn’s Dan Hurley to become their next head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the team is preparing a “massive, long-term” offer for the back-to-back national champion.

Sources tell ESPN that Hurley has been at the “forefront” of the Lakers’ search process, though the club has only had preliminary discussions with him so far and has done its due diligence on other candidates. The plan is for Los Angeles to escalate its discussions with Hurley in the coming days, Wojnarowski adds.

After playing his college ball at Seton Hall from 1991-96, Hurley immediately transitioned into coaching, spending a year as a high school assistant coach before being hired to Rutgers’ staff as an assistant.

Hurley became the head coach at St. Benedict’s Prep (a New Jersey high school) from 2001-10, then broke into the college ranks at a head coach with coached Wagner from 2010-12. Following a stint as Rhode Island’s head coach from 2012-18, he arrived at Connecticut in 2018. He has since led the Huskies to a 141-58 (.709) record, with national championships in both 2023 and 2024.

As Wojnarowski details, Hurley has talked in the past about wanting to one day coach in the NBA and has let the Lakers know he’s interested in exploring what a partnership would look like. For their part, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka are enthusiastic about the idea of bringing his “tactical acumen and elite player development” to the Lakers, Woj adds, while star forward LeBron James has expressed admiration for Hurley’s creative offensive system.

It’s a surprising development, as the Lakers were long believed to be eyeing ESPN and ABC analyst J.J. Redick for their head coaching vacancy. Several reports from many different outlets in recent weeks have identified Redick as the frontrunner for the position, with Shams Charania of The Athletic stating on Tuesday that L.A. was “zeroing in” on the former NBA sharpshooter.

Wojnarowski described Redick several weeks ago as a “name to watch” in the Lakers’ search, noting that the team was “drilling down” on him in its initial research. However, he has never described Redick as the favorite.

There was a belief that the recent silence from Wojnarowski on the Lakers’ search was perhaps due to the fact that Redick was an ESPN colleague, but it appears now that Woj just had different information — he stresses in today’s report that the “potential of landing Hurley has been the focus of the Lakers’ search,” even as they interviewed candidates like Redick, James Borrego, and Sam Cassell, among others.

According to Wojnarowski, part of Hurley’s appeal is the fact that the Lakers anticipate player development becoming a greater priority for the franchise under the current CBA, due to the roster-building limitations facing teams above the tax aprons. They believed that their younger players, including Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Max Christie, can continue to get better under a coach like Hurley.

The Lakers have been searching for a new head coach since formally dismissing Darvin Ham on May 3. Ham had a 90-74 (.549) record during his two seasons in Los Angeles, winning a pair of playoff series in his first year last spring.

Stein’s Latest: Lakers’ Coaching Search, Nembhard, Siakam, Mitchell

J.J. Redick and James Borrego have emerged as the top two names in the Lakers‘ coaching search, but there’s increased speculation about Monty Williams if the Pistons let him go, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required). Detroit is going through an organizational shakeup after Trajan Langdon took over as head of basketball operations, and it’s possible that Williams could be replaced along with general manager Troy Weaver, even though Williams still has five years remaining on the $78MM contract he signed last summer.

Stein points out that the Lakers have pursued Williams before. Prior to hiring Frank Vogel in 2019, L.A. first reached out to Tyronn Lue, then turned to Williams after negotiations with Lue fell apart. Williams chose an offer from the Suns over the Lakers.

Signs still point to Redick as the favorite to be the next head coach, with the Lakers hoping to add Borrego as an assistant. However, Stein hears skepticism around the league that the Pelicans would agree to release their associate head coach from his contract for a lateral move.

There could be a small source of conflict if Redick is the selection, Stein adds, noting that Redick, who’s an awards voter due to his role as a broadcaster with ESPN, didn’t put Anthony Davis on his ballot for first or second team All-Defense honors. Davis finished fourth in the DPOY voting.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

  • The PacersAndrew Nembhard raised his value with a stellar postseason performance and some teams are now convinced that he can be a successful lead guard, sources tell Stein. That could eventually result in offers greater than what Indiana can give him in an extension this summer. Nembhard is only owed $2MM next season, so a four-year extension that replaces his 2025/26 team option would be worth about $75MM. Without an extension, the Pacers could make Nembhard a restricted free agent next summer by turning down their option for ’25/26 and issuing a qualifying offer. That would allow them to match any offer he gets on the open market.
  • Pacers forward Pascal Siakam is still considering whether to represent Cameroon in an Olympic qualifying tournament next month, Stein adds. One complication is that Siakam is expected to verbally commit to a new contract with Indiana before the start of free agency on June 30. However, the moratorium prevents that deal from being finalized until July 6, which is after the start of the international competition. Siakam may be reluctant to risk injury before his new deal is official.
  • A source tells Stein that the Cavaliers have reasons to be optimistic about their chances of an offseason extension with Donovan Mitchell. There has been repeated speculation that Mitchell might be moved this summer if he doesn’t make a long-term commitment.

Lakers Zeroing In On Redick For Head Coaching Job

J.J. Redick has emerged as the clear frontrunner for the Lakers’ head coaching job, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports.

No final decision has been made yet, and the Lakers still have steps remaining in their head-coaching search process, Charania continues. But all indications are that Redick is their top choice at this stage.

The Lakers’ search has been focused on two candidates — Redick and Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego — in recent weeks. Redick was the first candidate to have a face-to-face meeting with the Lakers three weeks ago, and Borrego did an in-person interview with Lakers officials for a second time last week.

Redick is serving as a color commentator for the NBA Finals on ABC/ESPN, which is why many people around the league believe that an announcement won’t take place until after the series.

Darvin Ham was fired after the season after only two years at the helm. The Lakers are seeking a coach who will have a longer shelf life, one who will command the locker room and hold players accountable. They are also seeking an expert game planner who can provide a level of structure and organization and the Lakers believe Redick checks all those boxes. As he previously stated, Charania adds that Lakers officials are “infatuated” with Redick and his potential as a coach.

The Lakers have consulted during the process with longtime Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Redick from 2002-06.

Western Notes: Wolves, Towns, Lakers, Redick, Ingram, G. Allen

Discussing the Timberwolves‘ ownership situation during the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said there’s a perception around the league that if Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore assume majority control of the franchise, “payroll’s getting slashed.” However, his colleague Brian Windhorst disagrees with that notion.

“Let me just say this: I don’t believe it’s going to get slashed,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “I believe if (A-Rod and Lore) get the team by the fall, which I am skeptical of for various reasons, but if they get the team by the fall, I don’t think they’re cracking this team in pieces to save money. I think because one thing about the team, they have instantaneous equity, they can borrow it against it like that.”

While Windhorst doesn’t expect payroll to decline drastically if Rodriguez and Lore take over majority control from longtime owner Glen Taylor, he does think the new owners may not be attached to Karl-Anthony Towns as Taylor has been to this point.

“I do not think they would tear the team apart. However, I do think that there’s a possibility if the ownership change took place that Karl Towns’ role would be reevaluated,” Windhorst said.

After MacMahon stated more frankly that Towns would likely find himself “on the trade block” in that scenario, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps pointed out that exploring trade scenarios involving the big man doesn’t necessarily mean he’d be moved, since his super-max contract, which includes a $49MM+ cap hit for 2024/25, will make it difficult for Minnesota to find a suitable deal.

“(That’s) why I believe he’s not going anywhere,” Windhorst said. “Because trading him and getting equal return is going to be next to impossible.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • In another segment of the Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst suggested that the Lakers have been sending the message that they’re still early in the process of their head coaching search, but that the noise surrounding J.J. Redick‘s candidacy has been loud. “I have some people saying, ‘This is J.J. Redick’s job’ that I trust,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “I have some people saying this is a process that is not complete. I suspect I know something, but I am just going to tell you that there’s multiple streams of information. James Borrego has had multiple meetings with the Lakers. I do think that he is a viable candidate for sure, but I think J.J. Redick is a very strong candidate. And he also is calling the (NBA) Finals for our network on ABC and ESPN. So it is what it is.”
  • While there’s a widespread belief that the Pelicans will gauge the trade market for Brandon Ingram this summer, William Guillory of The Athletic makes the case that keeping the former All-Star forward is the right move for New Orleans, arguing that it would be hard to find a deal involving Ingram that makes the team better than the 49-win version from this past season.
  • Having signed a contract extension in April, veteran wing Grayson Allen won’t become trade-eligible until October. But what sort of deal could the Suns make if they were willing to part with Allen in the fall or at next year’s trade deadline? Gerald Bouguet of PHNX Sports attempts to answer that question, generating 15 potential trade scenarios involving Allen.

Lakers Notes: Coaching Search, Offseason, Mailbag

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link), Shams Charania of The Athletic said James Borrego‘s second interview for the job — which took place on Wednesday — included meeting the team’s ownership. A former head coach of the Hornets, Borrego is currently the Pelicans’ top assistant.

At the end of the day, if there are any finalists, it’s likely going to be J.J. Redick and James Borrego,” Charania said. “James Borrego is someone Anthony Davis is fond of. And James Borrego is someone that understands that the Lakers have to continue to win with Anthony Davis at the helm.

He’s 31 years old, he’s in the prime of his career. He’s gonna be a Laker — as long as all the stars align — longer than LeBron James is gonna be a Laker. LeBron has one, two more years left at the most in his career. Anthony Davis has a longer runway. So building an offense around AD, having a team of player development, those are things — from what I’m told — that James Borrego has stressed to the Lakers.”

Despite characterizing Borrego as a serious candidate and a potential finalist, Charania reiterated that Redick is widely viewed as the frontrunner for the job, saying the Lakers “have an infatuation level” with the former sharpshooter as a head coach.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • While Los Angeles plans to be “aggressive” in seeking upgrades this summer, it remains unclear if the team will pursue a third star to pair with James and Davis or upgrade the role players surrounding them, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Whichever route the Lakers take, they would prefer to retain Austin Reaves, whose strong showings in the playoffs the past two years “have affirmed his fit” with the team’s stars, sources tell Buha.
  • According to Buha, the Lakers are willing to offer James whatever he wants on his next contract, with picking up his $51.4MM player option still considered a possibility. Buha also confirms that James is expected to play one or two more seasons.
  • In a mailbag on his YouTube channel (video link), Buha said that the Lakers likely “aren’t actively shopping” Rui Hachimura but noted that his mid-sized contract is a logical salary-matching piece if they want to make roster upgrades. Buha added that Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent could be viewed in a similar way — Hachimura just makes more money.
  • Responding to another mailbag question, Buha said he isn’t sure, but he doesn’t think the Lakers would have interest in revisiting trade talks for Zach LaVine this summer. Buha views LaVine as a step down from some other maximum-salary players, particularly due to his injury history.