“I think next week, the week after that, I would expect the Lakers will really ramp up their head coaching search,” Charania said. “I would look at names like Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick… Even guys like David Adelman, who’s an assistant coach in Denver right now, James Borrego, an assistant coach in New Orleans right now. They’re going to have a wide net. I would expect them to interview an abundance of candidates.”
“They’re going into it with the mindset of having LeBron James, building around him, building around Anthony Davis [next year],” Charania said. “LeBron James has until June 29 to decide whether to exercise his option. He’ll also be interested in watching the Lakers’ actions leading up to that option date.
As far as projecting what kind of Lakers roster a new coach will be getting in 2024-25, Charania projected that All-NBA combo forward LeBron James will most likely be back in uniform for the Purple and Gold. James, who at 39 is the oldest player in the league, has a $51.4 million player option for next year.
In a recent appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” Shams Charania of FanDuel TV disclosed a few of the major names that Pelinka and Buss were still thinking about.
“I think next week, the week after that, I would expect the Lakers will really ramp up their head coaching search,” Charania stated. “I would consider names like JJ Redick and Kenny Atkinson… Even men like current Denver assistant coach David Adelman and current New Orleans assistant coach James Borrego. Their net will be quite broad. They should interview a large number of applicants, in my opinion.”
In speculating about the Lakers roster that a prospective coach will inherit in 2024–2025, Charania said that All-NBA combo forward LeBron James would almost certainly return to the Purple and Gold. James, the league’s oldest player at 39, is worth $51.4 million.
Los Angeles defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in their play-in game to end with a 47-35 record and the seventh seed in the Western Conference. The team then lost a first-round contest against the Denver Nuggets, the reigning champions, in five short games.
