Lakers' next coach odds: Is JJ Redick the runaway favorite?

JJ Redick is the favorite to land the Lakers' head coach position, according to reports. The odds align with the rumors. The 15-year NBA vet, who retired in 2021, is -210 (68% implied probability) at available betting markets to be the franchise's next coach.

Former Hornets head honcho and current Pelicans assistant James Borrego has the next best odds at +400 (20% implied probability).

Sam Cassell, Kenny Atkinson, Micah Nori, and Chris Quinn are all near the top of the oddsboard.

Only two of the top six candidates have prior head coaching experience - Borrego and Atkinson. Meanwhile, Cassell has bounced around the league as a well-respected assistant, Quinn has been a mainstay on the Heat for a decade - it's only a matter of time before the 40-year-old earns a job - and the Timberwolves' Micah Nori roamed the sidelines in the final rounds of the playoffs while Chris Finch dealt with a knee injury.

The finalists will likely be Redick and Borrego, according to Shams Charania. The Lakers are seemingly looking for an out-of-the-box hire to steer the ship in LeBron James' final years.

Although he quickly rose to the top of basketball media with his insightful, nuanced, and rational analysis in an ecosystem where that's increasingly rare, Redick hasn't been shy about his desire to coach.

Last offseason, Redick interviewed for the Raptors' head coaching job before Toronto hired Darko Rajaković. In April, Redick interviewed with the Hornets before Charlotte ultimately hired Celtics assistant Charlee Lee.

Joe Mazzulla previously courted Redick to join his Boston staff, but Redick declined. The former Duke standout has no prior coaching experience at any level (unless you count his son's peewee basketball team).

Recently, Redick launched "Mind the Game," a podcast featuring him and James. That's no small anecdote in this equation. Redick and James discuss basketball strategy and Xs and Os on the show. They seemingly share a similar basketball vision and have aligned philosophies.

Would Redick seriously be considered for the job if "Mind the Game" didn't exist? Appeasing James, who is set to have his fourth coach in seven seasons with the Lakers, is essential for L.A.'s front office and will be one of the new coach's priorities. James reportedly has nothing to do with the Lakers' coaching search, but the search has everything to do with him.

Redick is the same age as the four-time champion and evidently has James' respect as a peer and basketball mind. But it's unclear if Redick would garner the same respect from James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the players as an authoritative figure. Davis' discontent with former coach Darvin Ham is one of the reasons the latter was fired after two seasons, and while Redick showcases his extensive basketball knowledge through media platforms, coaching is about managing egos as much as it is about drawing up the right play.

The former sharpshooter's inexperience clearly perturbed other organizations with openings. First-time head coaches with no prior coaching experience rarely pan out.

Steve Nash was the latest example. His time with the Nets ended disastrously. Meanwhile, it took Jason Kidd three stops - as a head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee and as an assistant with the Lakers - before he realized success as the Mavs' head coach and led them to this season's NBA Finals.

Of the eight coaches hired since 2000 with no coaching experience, Steve Kerr is the only one who lasted more than three seasons. Kerr, however, was a general manager before coaching.

From the outside, Borrego seems like the obvious choice, but reports and odds indicate it's Redick's job to lose.

James' hourglass is slowly running out of sand, and the Lakers don't have too many avenues to improve a roster that qualified for the play-in tournament the last two seasons. The job shouldn't be viewed as a marquee position. Expectations are unfairly high. But the prospect of guiding a historic franchise with one of the greatest players of all time is tough to turn down.

Eventually, an NBA franchise will hire Redick, who appears to be ditching the broadcast booth for the sidelines sooner than expected.

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.