Lakers Rumors: JJ Redick's ESPN Obligations Could Extend HC Search Beyond NBA Finals

JJ Redick's current job might complicate the pursuit of his next job.

The ESPN analyst is a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers' vacancy, with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting Wednesday he "should be classified as the early favorite if you are determined to pinpoint one."

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, some believe the Lakers' hiring process "may stretch into June" in order for Redick to complete his duties for ESPN's coverage of the NBA playoffs.

ESPN already lost Doc Rivers to the NBA coaching ranks in the middle of the season. The network tabbed him as one of its lead analysts for games, only for him to replace Adrian Griffin on the Milwaukee Bucks.

Redick shifted onto ESPN's No. 1 team, with the company confirming he'd work the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals. Because of that, it might be difficult for the 39-year-old to leave the broadcast booth until the postseason is officially concluded.

More broadly, this isn't an uncommon situation because teams hiring assistant coaches from outside of the organization are occasionally left to wait until that candidate's team is done in the playoffs.

The Charlotte Hornets, for example, have named Charles Lee as their next head coach, but the Boston Celtics assistant won't make his way south until the Celtics' season is over.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers have received the necessary permission to begin interviewing the candidates on their shortlist. If Los Angeles goes through that process without making a hire within the next few weeks, then the franchise could be tipping its hand that it's merely waiting on Redick.