Lakers Reportedly Looking at Multiple Candidates to Replace Darvin Ham

LA is on the hunt for its third head coach in the last five years.

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers fired former head coach Darvin Ham following the Lakers' 4-1 series loss to the Denver Nuggets during Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs. Ham had been on the hot seat for much of the season, and the team decided to go in another direction after they once again were eliminated by the Nuggets.

The Lakers will now begin the search for their next head coach, who they hope will bring them back to the NBA Finals. Los Angeles reportedly will perform an extensive coach and are viewing Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, J.J. Reddick, and Ty Lue if available, per The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jovan Buha:

The Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with coach Darvin Ham, and sources tell me and @jovanbuha an extensive search will commence soon, with candidates such as Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and, if he becomes available, Ty Lue among others.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2024

Budenholzer is one of the top available head coaches after he was fired from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023 after making some questionable decisions during the Bucks' first round loss to the No. 8 Miami Heat. While he was fired, he has a strong reputation overall as a head coach. He led the Bucks to an NBA championship in 2021. He has a career .604 win-loss record over 10 seasons of coaching the Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, and has won the NBA Coach of the Year award twice.

Atkinson has re-emerged as a head coaching candidate after spending the last four years as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. He had one prior head coaching stint with the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-20. The Nets only made the playoffs once under Atkinson, before he resigned.

Reddick would be an out of the ordinary head coach candidate for the Lakers. He retired three years ago and does not have any coaching experience at the collegiate or NBA level. He has instead worked in media and podcasting, and recently began the Mind the Game podcast with LeBron James.

Finally, Lue is reportedly a candidate from the Lakers' side, though he is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. A two-time NBA champion with the Lakers in 2000-01 and NBA champion as an associate head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James, Lue is well connected to the organization. The question would be is if he's willing to leave the Clippers for the Lakers.

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