JJ Redick Responds to Being Second Choice After Dan Hurley on Lakers Shortlist

The Los Angeles Lakers were publicly embarrassed earlier this week when UConn head coach Dan Hurley turned them down despite a six-year, $70 million offer. Now, the Lakers are back to the drawing board and JJ Redick is the presumptive frontrunner to land the job.

Fortunately for the Lakers, Redick doesn't seem to mind that he was the second choice behind Dan Hurley. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the former Duke star and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka have talked recently and Redick "understands and accepts" Lakers' pursuit of Hurley.

"Pelinka and Redick have talked on the phone in recent days, and Redick understands and accepts Pelinka's lengthy pursuit of Connecticut coach Dan Hurley that initially stalled Redick's candidacy, sources said."

- Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN

This is excellent news for the Lakers. This front office and ownership can't afford to be spurned again by another head coach. The fact that Redick is fine with continuing the process even though he was put on the back burner while Los Angeles tried to convince Hurley, is a positive sign.

It was long assumed that Redick was LeBron James' preferred candidate. The two have a podcast together and James clearly respects Redick's basketball intelligence. Hiring Redick would go a long way in convincing LeBron to stay in Los Angeles.

LeBron James has a chance to opt-out and become a free agent this summer. The expectation is that he would likely re-sign with the Lakers, especially if Redick becomes the head coach. After that, the front office still has a ton of work to do in free agency and the trade market to make sure this team's championship window is still open for the next few years.

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