Many of the Lakers’ coaching targets have fallen like ninepins over the last month. When Darvin Ham was fired on May 3, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Shams Charania named former Milwaukee Bucks HC Mike Budenholzer, Los Angeles Clippers HC Tyronn Lue, Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee, former NBA player JJ Redick and Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson as the team’s top names of interest.
Since then, Budenholzer has signed with the Phoenix Suns and Lee with the Charlotte Hornets while Lue has re-signed with the Clippers.
With Budenholzer and Lee off the board, several insiders noted that New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman, Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori had entered the Lakers’ coaching search.
Now, the Lakers could see another of their candidates signing elsewhere. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that the Cleveland Cavaliers – who fired J.B. Bickerstaff last week – are set to interview Borrego and Atkinson in the coming days.
While Borrego reportedly met with the Lakers for a second interview on Wednesday, Atkinson has yet to meet with the franchise this year. However, the Golden State Warriors assistant had two meetings with the Lakers during their previous coaching search in 2022. Ham eventually edged out Atkinson for the job.
If Borrego or Atkinson choose to sign the Cavaliers, the Lakers could be running out of head-coaching options. There have been conflicting reports about JJ Redick emerging as the front-runner for the high-profile job. Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that the Lakers are “nowhere close” to finalizing Ham’s successor and plan to bide their time and interview a few more candidates. He also labeled Borrego “a serious candidate” for the Lakers job.
