Darvin Ham might not reprise his role as the Lakers’ head coach next season after his first-round exit.
Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers are out of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, meaning an offseason of major decisions has already started. A change in head coach is being heavily considered within the franchise according to The Athletic.
“The Lakers’ unflattering finish leaves Ham’s future as head coach in serious peril, multiple league and team sources tell The Athletic, with some stakeholders indicating it’s highly unlikely he’ll return. The plan is to reassess everything that went wrong in the coming days before making a final decision. In 2022, Ham signed a four-year deal in the range of $5 million per season, so the team would be assuming the remainder of his deal if he is fired.”
Ham’s tenure with the Lakers this season has been extremely contentious. He hasn’t had the support of key players, with the playoffs seeing D’Angelo Russell brush him off, Anthony Davis criticize him in the media, and LeBron James yelling at him in front of everyone because he refused to challenge a call. His voice doesn’t hold a lot of sway over his players anymore, which should lead to a change.
However, there have been reports suggesting that Ham’s job would be safe regardless of result due to the Lakers not wanting to spend big money on a new coach. Ham has also had owner Jeanie Buss’ support for a long time, so a contentious situation where the ownership disagrees with the players and front office could develop.
If Ham has coached his last game for the Lakers, it likely will lead to an extensive coaching search as the Lakers bring in their fourth coach since 2018.
Michael Malone Defends Darvin Ham From Haters
Before The Athletic shared their story on Ham, Michael Malone took to the podium to talk about Darvin Ham’s coaching on the Lakers. The Nuggets head coach put his support behind Ham, crediting the job he’s done this season while saying he deserves to stay in-charge of the Lakers.
“I think Darvin Ham is a hell of a coach. That’s not an easy job. I think Darvin does it with class. He’s a good man, good coach, and I wish him all the best. Hopefully, he’ll be around there for a long time because he deserves to be.”
Fans are already joking that Malone is saying this to ensure the Lakers stay stuck in mediocrity, but Ham hasn’t been as disastrous as everyone says. He did lead the team to an incredible late-season comeback last year and ended the year with a Conference Finals appearance.
Even this year, the Lakers came back from under .500 to finish as a top-eight seed in the West. If the negatives are Ham’s fault, these positives should also be credited for him.
Even though certain sources say Ham is likely to be let go, we have had trusted sources also say that Ham’s job is safe. It seems there’s a disagreement within the braintrust of the organization, and Ham’s job security will be hotly debated over the offseason.
