Lakers Rumors: JJ Redick, James Borrego Linked to HC Job After Hurley Stays at UConn

The Los Angeles Lakers' all-in push for Dan Hurley went bust, and now they're going to have to pick up the pieces of their coaching search.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers are expected to focus on James Borrego and JJ Redick after the UConn coach spurned a six-year, $70 million contract offer from them.

Failing to land Hurley is nothing short of an abject failure from Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss, who have now bungled three straight coaching searches.

In 2019, the Lakers lowballed Tyronn Lue in contract negotiations and insisted he hire Jason Kidd to serve as his lead assistant, which led to Lue declining the offer and the Lakers hiring Frank Vogel. While Vogel would win an NBA championship in 2020, he was gone two years later after posting a 33-49 record in 2021-22. The Lakers hired Darvin Ham to replace Vogel after another prolonged search, only for Ham to look woefully equipped to handle the top job in his two seasons.

Now, the Lakers essentially waited out the coaching market in pursuit of Hurley—a pursuit that doesn't quite seem as dogged as reported. Six years and $70 million is a hefty sum for regular people, but it doesn't amount to a Godfather offer in coaching circles. The Lakers' offer barely topped what the University of Kentucky was willing to offer Hurley to leave UConn.

Borrego and Redick are both interesting choices, but it's fair to wonder if either coach will want the job knowing they were clearly backup options. Borrego is a strong candidate for the Cleveland Cavaliers' opening, and owner Dan Gilbert might be aggressive with an offer knowing the Lakers' job is back in play.

Redick has a blossoming media career and podcast empire. He could probably make just as much money with a lot fewer headaches staying at ESPN and continuing to grow his network. The former NBA guard has been open about missing the competition, so he might roll the dice on taking the job, but it's hard to come away thinking positively about Lakers management.