Will JJ Redick’s podcast with LeBron James lead to Lakers coaching gig?

The Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham after two underwhelming seasons, prompting a search to find his replacement. One popular candidate is retired NBA player JJ Redick.

Redick and Lakers superstar LeBron James kicked off their podcast "Mind the Game" in March, where they have in-depth discussions about Xs and Os and basketball strategy. It turns out Redick has essentially been interviewing for the Lakers' head-coaching gig for months without even knowing it.

Redick was a prominent candidate for the Charlotte Hornets' head-coach opening, but they ultimately hired Boston Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee. Now, Redick remains an option for Los Angeles.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski shared that the Lakers are expected to begin exploring their options at the NBA Draft Combine in mid-May.

“I think there’s really three buckets for this Laker job,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Today. “There are guys who are assistant coaches. [There are] former head coaches who might be assistants somewhere like James Borrego in New Orleans who had a really good season with their offense and you saw what he did for them in Charlotte where they got better each year. And then [there are] sort of the unorthodox candidates guys who haven’t coached, potentially a JJ Redick.”

Wojnarowski confirmed that the Lakers are interested in Redick.

"One name that the Lakers have been drilling down on in their initial research here: JJ Redick, our colleague at ESPN. He is certainly somebody that the Lakers are intrigued with," Wojnarowski said . "They’ve been making a lot of calls to try to learn more about him. But expect this to be a wide ranging and lengthy search. ... There is interest from the LA side. There’s been interest in JJ in a front-office role or a coaching role. He's a smart guy, a talented guy."

Fans might prefer Redick over experienced options like Borrego or Kenny Atkinson due to his popularity. However, former players have not consistently panned out as head coaches, with Steve Nash’s failed tenure with the Brooklyn Nets serving as a recent example.

Wojnarowski mentioned that this isn't the best time for a coaching search given the market.

"It is not a buyer's market right now in the coaching profession. ... There's not a straight-line candidate for this Lakers job," Wojnarowski said. "You look at the coaching market, and with Mike Budenholzer off the board, there’s no obvious veteran [who's] won big where we just plug him into our organization. I think you're going to have to look at a search for the Lakers a little differently."

How much input will James have? The 39-year-old star is known for swaying the decisions of his team’s front office, especially when it comes to trades and hirings.

Perhaps James’ growing bond with Redick will help him as he tries to land the Lakers gig over more experienced options.