The Lakers were led by Darvin Ham to the Western Conference Finals in 2023; however, this season, the team was eliminated in the first round.

The Los Angeles Lakers will start their hunt for a new head coach during the offseason.

The Lakers announced today that they fired coach Darvin Ham following two seasons. During that time, Ham went 90-74, earning two postseason berths, a trip to the 2023 Western Conference Finals, and a title in the first-ever In-Season Tournament.

Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement, “We greatly appreciate Darvin Ham’s efforts on behalf of the Lakers and recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons, including last year’s remarkable run to the Western Conference finals.”

“Darvin, we’re all grateful for your commitment and optimism. After a thorough evaluation of the season, this was a tough choice to make, but it’s the right one. The organization is steadfast in its resolve to provide Lakers fans worldwide with basketball of championship standard.

The Lakers finished 2023–24 with a dismal 47–35 record, which was followed by a five-game loss to the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs.

Under Ham, the Lakers participated in the Play-In Tournament both seasons. Although he eventually guided them to the postseason each time, this season’s journey to the West Finals in 2022–2023 increased the stakes significantly for Los Angeles.

Throughout large portions of their first-round series, Los Angeles held a commanding lead over the reigning champion Nuggets; but, Nikola Jokic and his colleagues ultimately advanced to the West semifinals.

Effect on Lakers: Even before the coaching change, Los Angeles had a lot of questions going into the offseason. After losing to the Nuggets for the second straight game—the first coming in a 4-0 rout in the West Finals—Ham was perceived as being under pressure.

The Lakers’ season-ending collapse was bittersweet because both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the league’s top scorer with 76 games played and 71 for James, were essentially healthy throughout. This was the first NBA season that either player had played in since 2017–18. In addition to having a fantastic regular season, D’Angelo Russell also established a franchise record for 3-pointers made.

The only improvement in the standings from the previous season was a four-win gain despite Ham’s health and success. Fans and observers largely blamed Ham for his poor game management, sluggish tactical adjustments, and unwillingness to alter his starting lineups and player rotations even when things weren’t working.

An subpar defense, erratic performance, and injuries created the conditions for a challenging midseason. In the holiday period that followed the In-Season Tournament, the Lakers finished 3-10.

During that awful run of play, Ham faced a lot of criticism for his lineup choices and rotations. Among other odd choices, he benched Russell and Austin Reaves while providing Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish a lot of playing time.

But the Lakers came back, finishing 23-10 to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans in the SoFi Play-In Tournament and secure the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Both James and fellow player Anthony Davis have player options for 2024–2025; they have until June 29 to exercise them. Along with D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Reaves, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt, these players are also under contract for the upcoming season with the Lakers, if they both return.

The next decision for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka will be whether to believe role players like Hachimura that the team can contend with more stability, or whether to make the long-expected push for a third superstar through trades.

The shooting guard, who was excellent throughout the regular season but underwhelmed in the playoffs—most notably, going scoreless in the Lakers’ Game 3 defeat to Denver—has a $18.7 million player option. Following Los Angeles’ elimination from the playoffs on Monday, the point guard stated he possesses “some leverage.” I’ll make an effort to capitalize on it.

Since winning the 2020 championship in the Florida bubble, James, Davis, and the Lakers have finished third in three of their four playoff seasons without making it past the first round.

The Lakers, who will appoint their fourth coach since James joined in 2018, have two years remaining on Ham’s deal. In the fourteen seasons since Hall of Famer Phil Jackson left the Lakers in 2011, this will be the team’ ninth coach.

Who could Lakers target as next head coach? Redick, Budenholzer, Lue among top options

According to league sources who spoke with The Athletic on Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham.Following their elimination against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs on Monday night, the Lakers performed a multi-day postmortem on their season. Players were given departure interviews on Wednesday by members of the Lakers organization, such as general manager Rob Pelinka and vice president of basketball operations, according to league sources that were provided to The Athletic.The Lakers finally made the decision to change their coaching staff in order to try to extend the LeBron James and Anthony Davis partnership’s window for championship success after reviewing their season and talking with their players.The Athletic revealed on Monday night that Ham’s employment was in grave danger. Given the Lakers’ eighth-place regular season performance (they received the No. 7 seed through the Play-In tournament) and first-round loss to the same Nuggets club that swept them in the Western Conference finals the previous season, several team and league sources believed he was unlikely to make a comeback. The Lakers finished 90-74 in the regular season and 9-12 in the postseason during Ham’s two-year leadership.After serving as an assistant coach for the Lakers from 2011 to 2013 under Mike Brown, Bernie Bickerstaff, and Mike D’Antoni, Ham was hired by the team in May 2022. He inked a four-year deal worth about $5 million a season, with the team picking up the remaining portion of his contract.The head coaching post with the Lakers becomes the most sought-after opening on the coaching market right away.It is only logical to look for a replacement who has the attributes that the outgoing head coach did not. Finding someone who can effectively manage timeouts and challenges, hold himself accountable in public, optimize lineups and the rotation, and command and maintain respect within the locker room are all important tasks for the Lakers.Tyronn Lue, the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, would be another contender right away if he leaves the team following their probable first-round exit. According to league sources who spoke with The Athletic, Charles Lee, the assistant coach of the Boston Celtics who worked under Budenholzer with the Bucks and Hawks, is another possibility. The 54-year-old Budenholzer led the Bucks to victory in 2021 as their head coach. After winning four more titles as Gregg Popovich’s assistant coach with the Spurs for seventeen years, he was given the opportunity to become head coach of the Atlanta Hawks in 2013. Budenholzer served as head coach of the Bucks from 2018 to 2023 and the Hawks from 2013 to 2018. He has a 484-317 career coaching record.Though his most recent Bucks teams were outstanding on both ends, Budenholzer’s teams have a history of being stronger defensively than offensively. In five of his ten seasons, his teams have been among the top five in defensive rating. Ham served as a mentor to the two-time Coach of the Year. From 2013 to 2022, Ham worked as a Hawks and Bucks coach under Budenholzer. Budenholzer has frequently been criticized for adapting too slowly during the playoffs; Ham faced a similar criticism during his two Lakers seasons.The Lakers would be very interested in Lue, should he become available. With one year remaining on his Clippers deal, the 47-year-old earned a championship in 2016 while coaching James for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2021, he advanced to the Western Conference finals with the Los Angeles Clippers, but he has also lost in the NBA Finals twice. Having won two titles as a player in 2000 and 2001, he was formerly a Laker. In five of his seven complete seasons, his teams have had an offensive rating among the top five.When the Lakers were looking for a coach in 2019, Lue was their top choice; they finally hired Frank Vogel. Lue claimed to ESPN that he felt disrespected by the Lakers since they offered him a pay cut and wanted to choose his coaching staff. It’s uncertain whether or how his curiosity might be influenced by that past. James will undoubtedly be behind him because he has expressed his continued admiration for Lue’s coaching.