New Lakers Rumors on JJ Redick's Job Security, HC Compared to HOFer Ahead of NBA Playoffs

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly won't be firing head coach JJ Redick once the team's 2025-26 season comes to a close, according to NBA insider Jovan Buha.

"Zero percent chance, they love JJ," Buha reported during a Friday appearance on FanDuel TV's Run It Back (0:12 mark). "I mean, this is a guy that they hand-picked. There was a lot of skepticism, 'Oh, this guy is a podcaster.' He had gotten some buzz as a coaching candidate, but you still had to take the leap of faith in hiring him having zero NBA coaching experience. This is a guy that they've compared internally to Pat Riley. That's a very serious comparison internally for the Lakers."

Riley coached the Lakers from 1981-90, as they won four championships during the Hall of Famer's tenure as head coach.

As for Redick, he's closing out his second season with Los Angeles.

The Lakers initially hired him in June 2024, a surprising decision at the time considering he was just three years removed from his 15-year NBA career as a shooting guard coming to an end and didn't have any experience coaching in the association.

Los Angeles finished with a 50-32 record during its 2024-25 campaign before losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, although it's worth noting that the team dealt with significant roster turnover in the middle of the season as a result of the blockbuster Luka Dončić trade with the Dallas Mavericks.

This year, the Lakers are entering the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference standings after compiling a 53-29 record. Los Angeles is set to face the Houston Rockets in a first-round series.

While another early playoff exit would be disappointing, it'd be difficult to place too much of the blame on Redick's shoulders considering Dončić and Austin Reaves are both currently sidelined due to injuries.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Thursday that the Lakers have "no expectation of having either Dončić or Reaves back at any point in the first round."

Game 1 between Los Angeles and Houston is on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.