If the Los Angeles Lakers fire Darvin Ham as head coach, Phil Handy could replace him, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Handy won the 2016 championship with LeBron James as an assistant coach on the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also won the 2019 title with Kawhi Leonard as an assistant coach on the Toronto Raptors.

“When you talk to people closer to the situation, it’s Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy who is more often brought up as a possible pick,” Amick wrote. “But again, we’re not there quite yet.”

According to Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, there’s a deepening disconnect between Ham and the Lakers locker room. Ham has used 10 different starting lineups this season and the Lakers are in 10th place in the Western Conference standings.

NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Phil Handy, Darvin Ham, Los Angeles Lakers Updates

Since winning the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas, the Lakers have gone 3-9. A high-ranking Lakers source pushed back against the idea that Ham is on the verge of being fired, per Amick, but if Los Angeles continues to lose, that could change.

Ham raised eyebrows when he started LeBron, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis on December 23 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers made the Western Conference Finals last season by starting D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Vanderbilt, LeBron and Davis, but Ham hasn’t started a game with that lineup once this season.

NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Phil Handy, Darvin Ham, Los Angeles Lakers Updates

Many people around the NBA believe Ham has lost the Lakers’ locker room. It will be fascinating to see if Ham is fired and replaced by Handy, who has never been a head coach in the NBA.

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