Lakers News: Top Candidates Emerge for LA's Darvin Ham Replacement

The Lakers canned Ham and his entire coaching staff Friday.

Apr 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and now-ex-head coach Darvin Ham. / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Now-ex-Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has been let go, after just two seasons at the helm. He led the club to one Western Conference Finals appearance and two playoff berths, while dealing with significant roster churn.

Is L.A. falling short really Ham's fault, or is it the fault of the front office who flipped several key pieces of its championship core in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma (plus Montrezl Harrell and a draft pick) to the Washington Wizards for the hollowed-out husk of Russell Westbrook, while also deciding to let now-two-time All-Defensive Teamer Alex Caruso walk in favor of raw project Talen Horton-Tucker, who in turn is long since gone from the Lakers.

Midway through Hams' first season, team president Rob Pelinka managed to pivot from Westbrook with some savvy maneuvering, but the club has not been able to recapture the magic of that 2019-20 lineup full of switchy, defense-first role players.

Now, Ham is gone, and the Lakers are in hot pursuit of several fairly familiar head coaching candidates, none of which will truly be able to improve L.A.'s roster. That's Rob Pelinka's job, and he'll need to operate cautiously this summer.

Sources inform Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic that the team's top three preferred candidates are former Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, who led the Bucks to the title in 2021; Golden State Warriors assistant coach (and former Brooklyn Nets head coach) Kenny Atkinson, who won a championship with the Dubs in 2022; and L.A. All-Star LeBron James' "Mind The Game" podcast co-host JJ Redick, who has no coaching experience of any kind.

Charania and Buha add that L.A. Clippers head coach Ty Lue and Boston Celtics Charles Lee are also being considered.

More Lakers: LA Makes Stunning Decision on Future of Darvin Ham's Coaching Staff