Betting Odds Reveal Lakers' Likely Next Head Coach
Usually it might annoy a fanbase to have every single detail of their head coaching search constantly made the center of a national conversation. But for Los Angeles Lakers fans, at least that has had the effect of outcompeting the Bronny James speculation at times.
And seriously, the Lakers head coach decision is a really crucial one for the franchise. It could help them keep LeBron James. It could help set the tone for the team as it looks to transition into a post-LeBron era. It's going to have a massive impact one way or the other.
And that importance has made it the only head coaching search with odds posted on DraftKings Sportsbook. The betting markets send a crystal clear message.
Lakers Next Head Coach Odds
Name | Odds | Implied Probability | Last Team Coached |
|---|---|---|---|
JJ Redick | -210 | 67.7% | N/A |
James Borrego | +400 | 20.0% | New Orleans Pelicans (assistant) |
Sam Cassell | +800 | 11.1% | Boston Celtics (assistant) |
Kenny Atkinson | +1200 | 7.7% | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
Micah Nori | +1200 | 7.7% | Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant) |
Chris Quinn | +1500 | 6.3% | Miami Heat (assistant) |
David Adelman | +2000 | 4.8% | Denver Nuggets (assistant) |
Rajon Rondo | +2000 | 4.8% | N/A |
Phil Handy | +3000 | 3.2% | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) |
Monty Williams | +3000 | 3.2% | Detroit Pistons |
Terry Stotts | +3500 | 2.8% | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) |
Frank Vogel | +4000 | 2.4% | Phoenix Suns |
Jay Wright | +4000 | 2.4% | Villanova (2022) |
Mark Jackson | +5000 | 2.0% | Golden State Warriors (2014) |
Mike D'Antoni | +5500 | 1.8% | Brooklyn Nets (assistant, 2021) |
Becky Hammon | +7000 | 1.4% | Las Vegas Aces |
Jared Dudley | +8000 | 1.2% | Dallas Mavericks (assistant) |
Dave Joerger | +14000 | 0.7% | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) |
Adrian Griffin | +15000 | 0.7% | Milwaukee Bucks |
Royal Ivey | +16000 | 0.6% | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
Pau Gasol | +20000 | 0.5% | N/A |
So right away there are a couple of obvious caveats that need to be made. First, some of these names almost feel like jokes. I mean, if Rajon Rondo is the eighth most likely candidate on the list, the list probably doesn't need to be more than seven names long. So yeah, I'm going to avoid giving much attention to the "will Pau Gasol be the Lakers' next head coach?" conversation here.
The other is more technical — you'll notice those implied probabilities add up to over 100%. That's because the sportsbooks inflate each line slightly to make sure they're making a profit. But for our purposes, that distinction doesn't matter too much.
Whether J.J. Redick is exactly 67.7% or James Borrego is exactly 20.0% is really not that important (or even possible to truly quantify). But what it does show is that the betting markets thing Redick is about 3 times as likely as Borrego (the second-most likely option) to be named Lakers head coach. And that Borrego himself is about twice as likely as Sam Cassell in the third place.
And that sends an obvious message: this is Redick's job to lose. Or at least that's what the general sports betting community believes.
To me, it's probably too early in the process to consider someone that big of a favorite. Reports are that this search is nowhere near concluded. Redick is such an out-of-left-field candidate that it's going to take more than speculation to make him really feel like a significant favorite.
Of course, his being an unusual candidate might make him more likely. This head coaching job isn't necessarily one that many assistants will be clamoring for. The opportunity to make the leap from assistant to head coach is not easy to come by, and it's risky to do it in a notoriously difficult situation with the Lakers. Guys like Borrego and Cassell may decide to play it safer. Even if those were the Lakers' preferred candidates, that might not matter.
These betting odds will certainly undergo some major changes before all is said and done and anyone has officially been named head coach, and it will be interesting to see just how savvy the market ends up being.
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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.