Who will be the Los Angeles Lakers’ new head coach?

The Los Angeles Lakers are sitting out the playoffs this year, and are focusing their efforts on acquiring a new head coach in preparation for the coming season. It’s been nearly a month since the franchise fired Frank Vogel after the team’s dismal 33-49 record, and the organization is reportedly being diligent and taking it slow in the search for his replacement.

Lakers interested in Raptors’ Adrian Griffin

A new candidate has come to light, as the Lakers have reportedly asked permission to interview Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Griffin joins Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as the known candidates for the post.

Griffin played for the NBA from 1996 to 2008 as a small forward. He then shifted to coaching, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks from 2008 to 2010. He also worked with the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, and Oklahoma City Thunder before joining the Raptors in 2018.

Griffin was part of the coaching staff when the team became NBA champions in 2019.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri has said that various teams had already expressed interest in Griffin, adding that he believes the former player is on the verge of becoming an NBA head coach.

Lakers not rushing search for head coach

There were reports that Los Angeles was first eyeing Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, who led Toronto to their first championship in franchise history. Nurse, however, is still under contract with the team.

The Lakers have taken a slightly different approach in their search for a new coach, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Usually, NBA teams ask for permission to talk to multiple candidates, who are then interviewed one after another.

This time, they will only ask to interview a couple of prospects, mull it over, then move to another small group of two or three others. With the disastrous performance of last season, it seems they are being more careful to get it right this time.