Lakers’ decision to extend JJ Redick’s contract makes no sense

One season, one quick playoff exit, and already the Lakers are giving JJ Redick more years on his deal.

That’s the decision GM Rob Pelinka announced this week, extending Redick despite him still having three years left on his original four-year, $32 million contract. At $8 million annually, Redick was already among the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. Security wasn’t the issue.

Performance was. And while a 50-win rookie season on the sideline isn’t nothing, it ended with an exit in Round 1. Redick’s rotations in that Timberwolves series were widely questioned — including the infamous Game 4, when he stuck with the same five players for the entire second half. ESPN noted no coach had tried that in at least 25 years. The Lakers blew the lead and lost.

That’s the “last impression” Redick left, and in L.A., those impressions matter. Extending him now doesn’t just feel premature — it feels unnecessary.

Meanwhile, LeBron James turns 41 in December and is showing the first signs of slippage. His farewell tour is coming. Instead of keeping flexibility, the Lakers are doubling down on a coach who has yet to win a playoff series.

Maybe Redick becomes elite. Maybe this all looks wise in a few years. But right now, it reads like a franchise betting on stability for stability’s sake.

And if Redick’s next playoff run looks anything like his first, the Lakers may find themselves stuck with a coach they extended for no good reason. And pretty soon, no LeBron around to make it look better.

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