JJ Redick, Lakers Agree to Contract Extension Before 2025-26 NBA Season, Pelinka Says

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has received a contact extension ahead of his second season with the team, general manager Rob Pelinka announced Thursday.

Redick previously signed a four-year deal reportedly worth $32 million with the Lakers ahead of the 2024-25 season.

The Lakers went 50-32 in Redick's first year as head coach before losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.

At the time of his hiring last summer, Redick had no prior coaching experience in the NBA. He spent 15 seasons with six teams as a player before retiring after the 2020-21 campaign, then worked as an ESPN analyst prior to joining the Lakers.

The Lakers had apparently been willing to offer more term to a more experienced candidate when hiring last summer. Adrian Wojnarowski reported last year for ESPN that the Lakers been rejected by Dan Hurley after offering the UConn head coach a six-year deal.

Redick apparently impressed the franchise enough to earn a longer deal after claiming 50 wins in his first season on an NBA sideline.

Pelinka said Thursday that the decision to extend Redick was "just to make it clear that he's the basketball leader in terms of our coaching and on-court performance."

Redick's new deal comes after Luka Dončić signed a three-year extension that runs through 2028 with a player option for 2029-30.

Considering that LeBron James' future with the franchise is uncertain as he heads into the 2025-26 season on an expiring deal, it looks like the Lakers are betting on Redick and Dončić to lead the team back to championship contention in the near future.