ESPN analyst and retired NBA player JJ Redick met with the Lakers over the weekend for a seemingly long-awaited interview for the franchise’s head coaching position.
Redick, who has a podcast with Lakers star LeBron James, met with the team between Games 4 and 5 of the Finals and both parties are yet to reach agreement on a deal, NBA insider Shams Charania reports.
“JJ Redick went in to L.A. on Saturday and had in-person meetings for multiple hours with the Lakers’ brass, with Rob Pelinka [and] ownership as well,” said Shams Charania on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’m told his meetings on Saturday were very impressive. All the characteristics you see in J.J. Redick, that you could envision in J.J. Redick, those all shine there.”
The Lakers made a massive offer to UConn coach Dan Hurley, but Charania is adamant that Redick has been the team’s number one man from the beginning.
“Listen, as far as where his situation and where he stands in this process, I said it May 24th, I said it June 4th, and his status as a frontrunner to be the next Lakers’ coach has not changed since those dates. It has not changed now,” said Charania.
“I think what the Lakers are doing now… Rob Pelinka and what that group is doing now is taking the next few days after the NBA Finals now that JJ Redick is done with his Finals duties and now finally get to making a decision and getting to it as far as a head coach. They do want to have their head coach in place by the draft. The draft is next week, so the last thing you want to do is be going through a coaching hire on draft week. So time is of the essence for the Lakers.”
There were reports of people close to Redick questioning if he really wants to coach the Lakers, but Shams said he is interested in the challenge of becoming an NBA coach.
“At the end day, he has to want to coach really badly, and from what I’m told, he does,” Charania added.