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Jay Williams sent the NBA rumor mill into overdrive during Tuesday’s episode of “Get Up,” when he referred to his ESPN colleague, JJ Redick, as a “first-time head coach”, as buzz continues to swirl over a potential union with the Lakers.
“You have the Los Angeles Lakers that are trying to figure it out with JJ Redick, a first-time head coach, we wish him all the best of luck with LeBron James in his twilight years,” Williams said.
Williams had been discussing the Lakers’ possibility of contending following the Celtics’ championship win over the Mavericks on Monday in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Redick was in the booth during Boston’s 106-88 triumph over Dallas, along with Doris Burke and Mike Breen.
The former NBAer, 39, was rumored to be the favorite in the Lakers’ head coaching search after the team parted ways with Darvin Ham in May. Ham coached the team for two seasons and was bounced from his post after a first-round playoff ouster.
The search took an unexpected turn in early June when the Lakers set their sights on UConn’s Dan Hurley, who coached the Huskies to back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024.
Hurley met with Lakers brass and ultimately turned down their six-year, $70 million offer.
He is slated to receive a six-year, $50 million contract extension at UConn, where he has coached since 2018.
Redick stated earlier this month that he would address the buzz this offseason following a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania that suggested the Lakers were “zeroing in” on him to be their next coach.
“In terms of Shams [Charania], that will be addressed once the season is over, I’ll just say that,” Redick said on DraftKings’ “GoJo and Golic” show, adding, “I don’t mean any job — I mean Shams. We’ll wait on that one.”
Redick had his formal Lakers coaching interview over the weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times.
