Who should be the Lakers' next coach? Ty Lue among leading candidates

The Los Angeles Lakers, again, need a new head coach.

The Lakers on Friday dismissed Darvin Ham after just two seasons, both of which ended with losses to the Denver Nuggets – in the Western Conference finals in 2023 and in the first round of the playoffs this season.

The next hire will be the Lakers’ fourth head coach in seven seasons. They didn’t bring back Luke Walton after his third season, they canned Frank Vogel after three seasons that included the 2020 championship and now Ham is gone.

Who do the Lakers turn to next? They’ve had former players (Walton and Ham) and first-time head coaches (Walton and Ham) and went with an experienced coach (Vogel).

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis, there remains potential for the Lakers to compete for a title.

Who are the potential candidates for the Lakers’ head coaching job?

Terry Stotts

Terry Stotts has been a head coach for three teams – Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland. His longest tenure was nine seasons with the Trail Blazers. He was 402-318 with Portland, helping the Blazers reach the playoffs eight consecutive times. They reached the conference finals once (2019) and conference semifinals two other times, and the Blazers won 50-plus games three times under Stotts.

Stotts, who played college basketball and professionally in the CBA and overseas, is a strong offensive coach and is very good in calling plays late in the fourth quarter of close games and adopted quickly to the NBA’s pace and space style. Stotts didn’t return to the Blazers after the 2020-21 season and accepted a job on Adrian Griffin’s Bucks staff last season. But after the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard, who Stotts coached in Portland, Stotts resigned as an assistant.

Stotts interviewed for the Lakers job in 2022, the offseason in which the franchise decided on Ham.

Ty Lue

Ty Lue is the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. Lue’s contract is up after this season, adding some intrigue to his situation as it relates to the Clippers and Lakers. Wherever Lue coaches next season, a team will need to pay up as Lue is expected to be in the $10 million per season range. Lue coached James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the title in 2016 and back to the Finals in 2017 and 2018.

A strong Xs and Os guy with a specialty in after-timeout plays, Lue is a former player and spent his first three NBA seasons with the Lakers. He has the respect of today’s players – and knows how to manage a variety of stars from James to Kyrie Irving to Kevin Love to Kawhi Leonard to Paul George to James Harden.

Mike Budenholzer

Mike Budenholzer is a championship coach, leading the Bucks to the 2021 title. Plus, he was an assistant on four San Antonio Spurs championship teams. A two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Budenholzer owns a 484-317 regular-season record and 56-48 playoff record in 10 seasons – five with Atlanta and five with Milwaukee.

Whether coaching the Hawks or Bucks, Budenholzer has assembled teams that produce offensively and defensively. After the Bucks parted ways with Budenholzer after last season’s first-round exit, Budenholzer took the 2023-24 season off and recently had some interest in the Brooklyn Nets opening that went to Jordi Fernandez.

Budenholzer is a great coach for a short stint, and the Bucks thought a new voice was necessary. But for a team trying to capitalize on success in a short window, Budenholzer fits the template.

Kenny Atkinson

Kenny Atkinson, a Golden State Warriors assistant, coached the Brooklyn Nets, and while his record in four seasons was 118-190, his teams showed improvement. He’s been a finalist for other jobs, and he grew as a coach working with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, his staff and the players.

Phil Handy

Phil Handy has long been recognized as a strong player development coach and has spent considerable time as an assistant on James’ teams in Cleveland and Los Angeles. He worked for the Lakers from 2011-2013, and in addition to his time with the Cavaliers and Lakers, he worked for Toronto as an assistant coach. He played college basketball at Hawaii and professionally in the CBA and overseas. He has been a part of three championship teams as an assistant coach but has no high-level head coaching experience.

Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson, the former Warriors coach and NBA analyst for ESPN/ABC, interviewed for the Lakers job in 2022, too. However, he coached the Warriors for just three seasons and hasn’t coached since 2013-14. He has interviewed for other coaching jobs and had no interest in others.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt