Anthony Davis’ Preference For Next Lakers Head Coach

Anthony Davis, not LeBron James, is the player whose opinion the Los Angeles Lakers are most concerned about when it comes to their next head coach.

James, whether he re-signs with the team or not this summer, is 39 years old. The front office will attempt to appease him by drafting Bronny James, but that is as far as they will go.

When it comes to the team’s head coach, though – the front office wants the approval of 31-year-old Davis.

That appears to be the primary reason why, despite a ton of hoopla suggesting J.J. Redick would become the team’s next head coach, they haven’t actually hired the ESPN analyst and former player.

Instead, the Lakers are now making a full-court press to bring in UConn head coach Dan Hurley.

Davis, by all indications, isn’t thrilled with the idea of Redick taking over for Darvin Ham.

“It has been suggested in some corners of the league,” NBA insider Marc Stein wrote this past week. “That Lakers star big man Anthony Davis probably prefers for James Borrego to get the job over Redick.”

While that doesn’t necessarily mean that Borrego will get the job over Redick, it is a strike against Redick. Clearly Davis isn’t thrilled to play for the latter.

James, who is obviously a fan of Redick’s given that they host a podcast together, has stated that he doesn’t want to iNFLuence the Lakers’ decision.

“Let me speak to the LeBron James side of it,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said this week.

“When this process started for the Lakers, when they dismissed Darvin Ham, they obviously spoke to LeBron about the coaching situation. From what I understand what LeBron said to them was you have to hire somebody who is for beyond just me.”

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“I might be here for another year, I might be here for two years, you’ve got to make a decision that’s built around Anthony Davis, that’s built around what the Lakers need for the next decade not just what I need.”

“Certainly, his feelings on the head coach are going to be taken into account but that’s the message LeBron gave them this type of hire this type of going for this type of candidate aligns with that.”

While Davis hasn’t expressly endorsed Hurley yet, his resistance to Redick suggests that he would prefer the UConn head coach.

Magic Johnson, similarly endorsed Hurley to be the Lakers’ head coach this week.

The next few days promise to be interesting. At one point, Redick seemed like the clear favorite to take over for Ham. That no longer appears to be the case – and Davis is a key reason why.

Related: Magic Johnson Explicitly Says Who Lakers Should Hire As Next Coach