Lakers fire Darvin Ham after 2 seasons
The Los Angeles Lakers dismissed head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons on the job, the team announced Friday.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka reportedly informed Ham of the club's decision in a phone call earlier Friday, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Ham's entire coaching staff was relieved of its duties as well, reports Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.
Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick, and potentially Tyronn Lue are among the candidates to succeed Ham, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania and Jovan Buha.
Following years of stability under Phil Jackson, the Lakers' next hire will be their eighth head coach since the 2011-12 campaign.
Ham guided Los Angeles to a 90-74 mark, including back-to-back playoff appearances. The Lakers reached last season's West finals but fell in five games to the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the 2024 playoffs.
"We greatly appreciate Darvin's efforts on behalf of the Lakers and recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons, including last year's remarkable run to the Western Conference finals," Pelinka said in a statement.
"We all want to thank Darvin for his dedication and positivity. While this was a difficult decision to make, it is the best course of action following a full review of the season."
Los Angeles signed Ham to a four-year contract in May 2022 worth around $5 million per season, according to Charania and Buha. The Lakers will assume the remaining money on his deal.
Plenty of questions surround the purple and gold entering the offseason, beginning with LeBron James' future. The four-time Finals MVP has until June 29 to exercise or decline his $51.4-million player option for 2024-25.
Pelinka is also able to offer a maximum of three first-round draft picks in a potential trade package.