Lakers Given Permission to Interview Milwaukee Bucks Assistant Coach Darvin Ham

The Lakers have reportedly asked to interview Darvin Ham of the Milwaukee Bucks.

After weeks of speculation on the Lakers head coaching situation, fans got their first report of concrete action on Friday. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers have asked the Bucks for permission to interview assistant coach Darvin Ham.

Sources: The Lakers have requested permission to interview Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham for their head coach opening. Ham served as a Lakers assistant from 2011-13. The team is starting the next stage of the coaching search process.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 29, 2022

It was subsequently reported by The LA Times Dan Woike that the Bucks have granted the Lakers request to discuss their head coaching vacancy with Ham.

Woike also reported that the former NBA player has been previously linked to head coaching jobs over the last three years that include Minnesota, Boston, Indiana, Washington, Cleveland, and Chicago.

As Charania notes, Ham was with the Lakers for two seasons. In those two seasons, the Lakers lost in the Western Conference semi-finals in 2012 and got swept in the first round of the 2013 playoffs.

Ham then joined the Atlanta Hawks as an assistant on Mike Budenholzer's staff in 2013. After five years with the Hawks, Ham followed Budenholzer to Milwaukee where the team would go on to win the 2021 finals.

It's a step in the right direction for the Lakers, but many believe that the Lakers would prefer to hire an established former head coach that the front office feels could command the attention of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Which is why names like Quin Snyder, Doc Rivers, Nick Nurse, and Mark Jackson have been featured more prominently in the Lakers head coaching rumor mill.

That being said, the Lakers constantly rely on hiring employees that have ties to the organization. Ham's familiarity with the franchise could help him boost his odds of landing the job. That is, if he even wants to take it.

Woike also reports that Ham is being considered by the Sacramento Kings to fill their head coaching vacancy.

Ham's Bucks are set to play the Boston Celtics tomorrow in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.