It should not have sat well for most Los Angeles Lakers fans that their historic rivals, the Boston Celtics, now own the most championships by a franchise in league history.

So, the first step in ensuring that the LeBron James and Anthony Davis-led squad gets back up on their feet is getting a head coach.

JJ Redick still remains the frontrunner for the position. It was rumored that a deal would be done after the NBA Finals.

What happened? Well, Shams Charania is one of the only few names who might be able to give a reliable answer.

The Lakers still do not have a head coach. Dan Hurley was the closest they had to getting a deal done. The legendary head honcho chose to stay with the UConn Huskies. So, they have reverted back to trying to conduct advanced stages of interviews and meeting with other candidates. James Borrego and Micah Nori were big names in the mix but it has always been JJ Redick who is the reported frontrunner for the position. Since no deal has been done a day after the NBA Finals, the Lakers faithful got a bit worried.

Shams Charania of The Athletic noted that there should be no stress coming fans, via The Pat McAfee Show:

“There isn’t an agreement as far as I know between the Lakers and JJ Redick right now. JJ Redick went in to LA on Saturday and had in-person meetings for multiple hours with the Lakers brass… I’m told that his meetings on Saturday were very impressive. All the characteristics you see in JJ Redick that you could have envisioned, those all shine there. Of course, we don’t know exactly what kind of coach he’s going to be until he’s in that seat, when you deal with adversity.”

A deal looms for JJ Redick and the Lakers after the NBA Finals, no later
Jun 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; ESPN analyst JJ Redick looks on before game two of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
© Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
With a deal not yet done due to the frontrunner’s NBA Finals work, a new deadline has been set. The Lakers are reportedly trying to get the contract and hire ironed out before draft night. Obviously, they will need the head honcho to screen these prospects as well as determine their probable fit with the LeBron James and Anthony Davis-led squad.

“His status, as a front-runner to be the Lakers head coach, has not changed since those days,” Shams continued. “I think what the Lakers are doing now is taking the next few days after the NBA Finals. Now that JJ Redick is done with his finals duties… they do want to have their head coach by the draft. The draft is next week. The last thing you want to do is be going on a coaching hire on draft week.”

A lot of pressure is riding on this position. It is not only the time constraint of the hire but also one of trying to tie their franchise titles back up with the Celtics because Anthony Davis and LeBron James’ times with the Lakers are not getting longer. Will this timeline reported by Shams Charania be definite come this week?