JJ Redick has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The hiring of Redick comes after UConn coach Dan Hurley turned down a reported six-year, $70 million offer from the Lakers earlier this month. The organization fired Darvin Ham on May 3 after two seasons.
Redick, who has no prior coaching experience, played in the NBA for 15 seasons (2006-21) and is widely known for his strong 3-point shooting. He embarked on a broadcasting career during his time in the NBA, starting a podcast during the bubble season in 2020 and before becoming part of ESPN’s lead broadcasting crew during the 2023-24 season after retiring from his playing career.
The Charlotte Hornets reportedly considered Redick for a coaching vacancy earlier this offseason.
FOX Sports’ Chris Broussard expressed his discontentment with the Lakers’ decision to hire Redick on Thursday’s edition of “First Things First,” saying the organization missed a great opportunity to bring in a better fit.
“I think they should have looked at Monty Williams,” Broussard said. “Other people talked about it and the timing — if it was a little different. Why? You waited this long, and you would like to have a coach before the draft. But this draft pick for the Lakers is not essential to have a head coach in place.”
Williams was most recently the head coach of the Detroit Pistons before being fired after one season.
“They tried to hire Monty a few years ago before he went to Phoenix,” Broussard added. “I know it didn’t work out in Detroit. Anthony Davis had a great relationship with Monty Williams when he was in New Orleans … At least interview him. Consider him. See what he would do with the team before you go out and make this hire.
“Will he coach LeBron [James]? Cause on the podcast he does push back a little bit. So maybe he would coach LeBron and do what they need, but it’s just a complete question mark.”
Nick Wright shared Broussard’s sentiment, saying there’s a lot of uncertainty about what Redick can do for the Lakers.
“It would be unfair of me to say JJ Redick is not going to be a good NBA head coach, just like it would be unfair of me to say that he is going to be a good NBA head coach,” Wright said. “He is being hired with as thin of a coaching résumé as any coach that has ever taken the job in modern NBA history. To [have] never [been] a part of an NBA staff, front office, coach at a big-time high school — let alone college — you couldn’t have…
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