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JJ Redick did not take offense to the Los Angeles Lakers’ very public pursuit of Dan Hurley.
The Lakers ultimately decided to hire Redick, who was introduced during a press conference on Monday. However, Hurley turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from the Lakers, choosing instead to stay at UConn.
Redick understood the Lakers looking at all their options, especially someone as experienced as Hurley.
“At no point was my ego bruised or feelings hurt in any way,” Redick told reporters.
Pelinka Says Redick Was ‘Plan A’ For Lakers
The Hurley pursuit was very public. But Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka maintain that Redick was in the “Plan A” of people they wanted to pursue to replace Darvin Ham.
“Happy to talk more about the entire process at another time,” Pelinka said. “From the start, [Redick] was in our Plan A pool of coaches that we were really interested in exploring.”
Pelinka said the hiring process helped him build a solid foundation with Redick, which will be important as they move forward.
“I think the most important thing is that throughout the process, JJ and I had direct and constant communication to keep each other in the loop with what he was going through with his previous job with the NBA Finals. I was keeping him abreast of the search,” Pelinka said. “Sometimes before a partnership is forged, when you can have real honest conversations before you actually become partners, it can solidify the relationship. Looking back to how transparent we were with one another, even in the midst of what was going on in the media, I think it actually solidified our confidence and belief in working together.”
Anthony Davis ‘Very Involved’ in Redick Hire
One of the most important voices in the Redick hiring was star big man Anthony Davis. The nine-time All-Star made his opinion known on who he wanted to be the next coach of the Lakers.
“Anthony Davis chose to be very involved,” Pelinka said. “He was very excited for today.”
On the other hand, LeBron James was not involved in the coach search. James is weighing his future with the Lakers and also had a preexisting relationship with Redick, with the two hosting a podcast together.
“He didn’t provide any advice. LeBron and I didn’t talk about the Lakers job until Thursday afternoon, about 30 minutes after I was hired,” Redick said. “I understood that he did not want to be involved in this. And for me, I didn’t want to go down the path of hypotheticals with someone I consider a friend and have a great amount of respect for.”
James is considering a player option worth roughly $51 million. He has until June 29 to decide if he’ll opt in. But even if James decides to opt out, it doesn’t mean he’s leaving LA. He could re-up on a new deal to return to the Lakers, potentially earning him more money and years on his deal. James has not been a free agent since 2018 when he decided to join the Lakers.
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