With the ousting of Darvin Ham and his entire coaching staff, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the prowl for a head coach, and early reports seem to indicate L.A. wants a coach with championship experience. So it is little surprise that former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has emerged as one of the top candidates for the job.

Budenholzer, who was fired following the Bucks’ shocking first-round exit last season, won an NBA Championship in Milwaukee in 2021, making him one of the relatively few coaches with a ring. That and his availability would seem to put him at the very top for vacant NBA head coaching positions this offseason, the Lakers’ included.

According to The Athletic’s Lakers beat reporter Jovan Buha, Budenholzer’s name has been mentioned in rumblings about Darvin Ham’s replacement.

“What is ahead? What does the future hold for the Los Angeles Lakers and their coaching search? I’ve already started to hear over a half dozen names,” Buha said. “The most common names that I’ve heard are Mike Budenholzer, who is considered the top coach on the market right now, though that could change depending on what happens with Ty Lue and the Clippers.”

Mike Budenholzer, Tyronn Lue, and JJ Redick mentioned as Lakers’ potential next head coach

While Mike Budenholzer is probably the most pragmatic option considering his championship experience, he does not appear to be the Lakers’ first choice for their head coaching vacancy. Tyronn Lue, the Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach, would appear to be at the top of the Lakers’ list.

Lue, like Budenholzer, has an NBA Championship to his name. He won his lone title in 2016 as part of the Cleveland Cavaliers, coaching LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love to the first and only championship in Cavs franchise history. That connection to James, who has repeatedly sung Lue’s praises, seems to be near the center of the Lakers’ potential pursuit of Lue.

“It is no secret that LeBron James loves Ty Lue, he is his favorite coach of all time, he continues to speak about Ty Lue with reverence,” Buha said. “If Ty Lue is let go by the Clippers, I’ve been told that the Lakers will have interest in Ty Lue. They courted him in 2019, it did not go well. They ended up settling on Frank Vogel, who was third choice, behind Ty Lue and Monty Williams.”

In addition to Budenholzer and Lue, Buha mentioned that former Brooklyn Nets head coach and current Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, as well as JJ Redick, the former NBA player who has since become a television broadcaster and popular podcaster, could also be options for the Lakers’ next head coach. Redick, who played 15 seasons in the NBA, including four in Los Angeles with the Clippers, currently hosts the “Mind the Game” podcast with James and has recently been mentioned as one of the top candidates for the Charlotte Hornets’ head coaching vacancy.