As the Lakers continue searching for their next head coach, it appears LeBron James may reportedly not be involved in the process, for now.
For at least the second half of his career, LeBron James has had the (largely deserved) reputation of having his hand in the team's decisions, both on the roster and in the coaching department.
Particularly since he joined the Lakers, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has noted multiple times that he includes LeBron and Anthony Davis in the front office’s decisions, at least when it comes to free agency. One of the most recent and notable examples was the Russell Westbrook acquisition, which LeBron certainly had a hand in.
Therefore, when it comes to the Lakers’ hiring of a head coach this summer, the assumption would be that he’s involved in the process. However, according to Shams Charania during his appearance on FanDuel TV on Monday, LeBron has not been part of the head coach search...so far.
"I'm told LeBron James is not involved in the Lakers head coaching search...James has made it clear that this is the organization's decision, he's had no conversions with the Lakers about JJ Redick."@ShamsCharania on the #Lakers coaching search pic.twitter.com/4YbscRYII7
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 20, 2024
Perhaps the most noteworthy part of that is Charania quoting Rich Paul’s comments about LeBron and JJ Redick’s relationship. It’s telling, but also it’s perhaps not surprising LeBron isn’t pushing for the team to hire any one player as it puts the target directly on him if things go awry.
It also might be a result of him not feeling strongly about any candidate. If Ty Lue was available, for example, you can guarantee that LeBron would be pushing for him to be hired.
This report can be true now, but it’d also be surprising if the Lakers get to the point of hiring a coach without consulting LeBron and AD. As noted, Pelinka often includes them in the decision-making process and considering how important the hiring of a coach is, including them feels like a foregone conclusion.
For now, this might be a bit of a surprise that LeBron is sitting this out. Since the fiasco surrounding Westbrook, LeBron has taken more of a backseat approach. But it’d be more surprising if the Lakers hire someone, whether it’s Redick, Borrego or even potentially Lue, and they include LeBron in the process.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
