Lakers' HC search narrowed down to three leading candidates

The Los Angeles Lakers appear poised to ramp up their search for a new head coach, and three leading candidates have emerged as options.

According to Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, JJ Redick, James Borrego and Sam Cassell have emerged as the Lakers’ top three targets in their coaching search. Other candidates, including Nuggets assistant David Adelman and Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, are expected to be in the fold.

Of the three leading candidates, only Borrego has served as a head coach in the NBA before. Cassell has had a number of assistant coaching jobs since 2009, while Redick, while widely respected, has never coached before.

The report states that the Lakers are seeking to hire a coach who will command the locker room, hold players accountable and implement an improved level of structure and organization to the team.

Borrego, currently a top assistant with the New Orleans Pelicans, is the name to watch if the Lakers prioritize experience. However, Redick’s name keeps popping up in relation to the job. The Lakers have done much preliminary work on him, and their interest appears real. Such a hire would be a risk, though, especially since this may be the last head coach the Lakers hire with LeBron James in the fold.

The Lakers are searching for a new coach after parting ways with Darvin Ham after two seasons.