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Amid rumors that he's being considered by the Los Angeles Lakers for their vacant head coaching position, JJ Redick has opened up about why he is drawn to the possibility of being a coach.
On the Road Trippin' podcast (starts at :30 mark), Redick explained that all of the parts of playing basketball that he misses, including the competition and being in a locker room after winning a game on the road, are all "part of coaching."
Even before the Lakers officially fired Darvin Ham on May 3 following their first-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets, Redick's name popped up as a potential replacement.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin said on the May 2 episode of The Dan Patrick Show that Redick "certainly is a real candidate if they open up this coaching search."
Going through the initial list of candidates for the Lakers, more names are coming off the board to potentially strengthen Redick's chances.
Jason Kidd was one option being reportedly considered by Los Angeles before he signed a multiyear extension on Monday to remain with the Dallas Mavericks.
On FanDuel TV's Run it Back earlier this week, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium cited Redick, Mike Budenholzer, Charles Lee, Kenny Atkinson and Tyronn Lue as candidates.
Lee was named Charlotte Hornets head coach on Thursday. Charania reported on Friday the Phoenix Suns plan to hire Budenholzer after firing Frank Vogel.
The wild card in this equation could be Lue. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week the Los Angeles Clippers want to work out a long-term extension to keep their coach.
Lue said "it's great to be wanted" when asked about the Lakers' job, but he wants to be with the Clippers: "Hopefully, we're able to solidify that."
There is already an established connection between Redick and LeBron James, assuming he returns to the Lakers next season. They have been co-hosting the Mind the Game podcast since March.
Based on Redick's work in the media as an NBA analyst, he certainly seems to have the mentality that would make for an easy transition to coaching.
There's a huge difference between being able to talk about the game and getting a locker room of players, some of whom played with and against Redick during his playing days, to buy into your philosophy.
Even if things don't work out for Redick to become the Lakers head coach right now, it seems like he will eventually take an HC job in the not-too-distant future.
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