JJ Redick has not yet been offered the head coaching job

Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

With the NBA Draft just a week away, the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching search appears to be coming to an end, with ESPN analyst JJ Redick remaining the favorite.

Redick interviewed Rob Pelinka and Lakers executives last weekend, and all signs point to him being the franchise’s next head coach.

While that may be the case, the Lakers have yet to officially offer Redick the job, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sportscenter with Scott Van Pelt Wednesday night:

“That’s right, Scott. They only offered the job to Dan Hurley, and then the Lakers went back to JJ Redick, which, what Rob Pelinka had at the Combine, was kind of a 9 minute get to know you, not digging very deep, but simply by speaking. And then they brought him to Los Angeles last weekend and he went through the more formal interview process. Redick has spoken with Rob Pelinka since, I know Pelinka has spoken with one or two other candidates since Redick’s interview this week. But what’s really left for the Lakers and JJ Redick at this point is for the Lakers to make an offer, which they have yet to do.

Wojnarowski added that having a coach in place by the June 27 draft is not a requirement although it is a goal of the Lakers:

“Yes and no, Scott. It’s not quite like the NFL where you have to have your coach in place for the draft where you’re going to draft players built on that coach’s system. Detroit probably won’t have of coach between now and the draft, but it’s important, that’s the Lakers’ goal and look, they’re focused on JJ Redick right now is a different rookie than Dan Hurley would have been. , I think JJ Redick certainly knows the NBA better than Dan Hurley knows how to coach a team, build a coaching staff, everything that goes into being a head coach and that even translates to the college level. .So I think for JJ Redick and the Lakers, what does a Redick coaching staff look like? All of those things are definitely important that you want to put in place if you want to bring him in. But right now, JJ Redick is. at the forefront of this and again all that’s left for LA is to offer JJ Redick the job, that hasn’t really happened yet.

It’s unclear why the Lakers haven’t yet offered Redick the job and if they’re still considering other candidates. This could have to do with still thinking about how many years and how much money to offer, or it could be that someone in the organization has second thoughts about hiring someone who has never been a coach.

Redick wasn’t the Lakers’ first choice, after all, as they offered Hurley the job and he turned them down.

Do the Lakers have competition for JJ Redick?

If the Lakers don’t make an offer to JJ Redick soon, he could consider other options, with him already linked to the Detroit Pistons, who fired head coach Monty Williams on Wednesday morning.

Are you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive event coverage, participate in live broadcasts and much more!