After falling to the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t wait long before they decided to part ways with head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons with the team.
Ham was rumored to be on the hot seat for the last few months, but no one really knew what the future held for the 50-year-old, as some reports said he’d be safe no matter the outcome in the playoffs.
However, it seems as though LeBron James and company wanted to move on from the second-year head coach, as Ham appeared to have lost the locker room because of the coaching decisions he had made throughout the season.
With Ham now looking for another opportunity in the league, the Lakers begin a coaching search once again, with a few candidates emerging.
Although no favorite has been named for the head coaching vacancy in Los Angeles, Brian Windhorst of ESPN gave his two cents on the Lakers’ situation on The Rich Eisen Show.
“Top coaches are now getting eight figures a year, and I don’t know if the Lakers are prepared for that type of commitment,” Windhorst said. “Mike Budenholzer is a name that is being associated with them a lot.”
Now that Darvin Ham has been let go, who will #LakeShow land on for their fifth head coach in 10 seasons? How much will LeBron's future play a role?#NBA #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/y8AhP1x9QR
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 6, 2024
At this point in time, it is anyone’s guess where the coaching search for the Lakers will lead, with other notable names mentioned as candidates being JJ Redick, Kenny Atkinson and Charles Lee.
Only time will tell where this will go and who the Lakers decide to bring in as their new head coach.
