On Friday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers made their first big move of the 2024 NBA offseason. They relieved head coach Darvin Ham of his duties, firing him after only two seasons on the job.
In two seasons as the Lakers head coach, Ham oversaw the team going 90-74 in the regular season. Los Angeles won the first NBA In-Season Tournament, defeating the Indiana Pacers in the championship game.
In both seasons with Ham, the Lakers did make the playoffs. In 2023, they advanced to the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the Denver Nuggets. This year, it was a first-round exit at the hands of the Nuggets again.
With Ham now gone, the search for the team’s next head coach will begin soon. According to Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, there is already an extensive list of candidates. Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and potentially Tyronn Lue were all named.
Budenholzer has 10 seasons of head coaching experience in the NBA; five with the Atlanta Hawks and five with the Milwaukee Bucks. He oversaw the Bucks’ run to the NBA title in 2021 with a victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Atkinson was head coach of the Brooklyn Nets for parts of four seasons. He oversaw an incredible turnaround with the franchise, leading them to the postseason in 2019 but was part of the changes when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined the franchise.
Lue is in his fourth season as head coach of the Clippers. He has experience working with LeBron James, which could give him a leg up on the competition if he becomes available. The two won a championship with the Clevland Cavaliers in 2016 and were together for three seasons.
Unlike the other candidates mentioned, Redick has no prior head coaching experience. He spent 15 seasons in the NBA and recently started a podcast with James that has quickly become very popular.
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