JJ Redick would’ve been Lakers coach already if not for NBA Finals coverage, per insider
The narrative of the LA Lakers' coaching search took a surprising turn from JJ Redick being the frontrunner to Dan Hurley emerging as a candidate. A Lakers reporter revealed that if Redick hadn't been busy covering the NBA Finals as an analyst for ABC, he might have already been the Lakers coach.
Jovan Buha, who covers the Lakers for The Athletic, shared on Hoops Talk with Allen Sliwa that Redick's timing would have aligned perfectly for him to step in as the Lakers coach if he wasn't occupied with NBA Finals coverage.
This year marks JJ Redick's first year as an analyst for the NBA Finals, where he joins ABC's team alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and Doris Burke.
“Had JJ Redick not been in the position of calling the NBA Finals, he would have been the Lakers coach,” Buha said. “Like if JJ was working for TNT and TNT does not have the NBA Finals I think JJ Redick is probably the Lakers head coach right now.”
Despite early reports primarily focusing on Redick and James Borrego, Buha stated that the emergence of Hurley as the new frontrunner was factual. He mentioned Hurley's suitability for the role, noting that he aligns with the qualities the Lakers have been seeking in a head coach.
“If you look at the candidate list they have this entire time…I think Dan Hurley would make a lot of sense as the top candidate,” Buha said. “I think he basically checks every box that the Lakers have been putting out they have been looking for.
“They want someone to set the tone with their culture, build a program, someone who's very organized, structured, disciplined, smart, good with X's and O's, and hold players accountable. Dan Hurley checks those boxes, so I have no doubt that when they started this process, he was at the top of their list.”
Why did the news suddenly shift from JJ Redick to Dan Hurley?
Dan Hurley and the Lakers held a meeting on Friday, with reports indicating the Lakers are keen on finalizing a deal this weekend.
According to Buha, the Lakers may have initially considered Hurley as their top candidate but kept it secret to avoid disrupting the school and team he was coaching, as news of his potential departure could have had negative effects.
“It's not binary like either was or wasn't there. He could have started their process as a top guy, but there was a gap there where they were not talking to him, where he was not under consideration like at the level of hiring,” Buha said.
Buha suggested that the Lakers might have viewed Hurley as a challenging acquisition initially, referring to him as a possible favorite they didn't expect to land:
“I think maybe he was like the pipe dream favorite. I think maybe he was the behind-the-scenes 'this is the guy we would love to have if we could have anybody.' But two weeks ago, they were deliberating between JJ Redick and James Borrego, and that's been the center of the search for the last couple of weeks."
Hurley is still under contract with UConn. After leading the team to a national championship in 2023, he signed a six-year deal worth $32.1 million. Buying out the remainder of that contract would cost approximately $2 million.