Los Angeles Lakers

Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder declined to discuss his contract status with reporters Monday amid rumors that the Los Angeles Lakers could be interested in bringing him aboard.

"My family loves it here," Snyder said, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune.

"… The experience continues to be a great one. … Beyond that, I continue to maintain that I'm not going to discuss my contractual situation publicly."

Longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein reported Saturday on his Substack that the Lakers, who need a new head coach after parting ways with Frank Vogel, are waiting to see if Snyder or Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers becomes available.

Former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham, Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin and Jackson are the four known candidates to have interviewed with the Lakers to date. Sources maintain that the Lakers’ search is moving deliberately at least in part because L.A. wants to see if Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers or Utah’s Quin Snyder makes it to the open market this offseason.

Per Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, Snyder has one year left on his contract. He also has an option for 2023-24, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

The Jazz appear to be at a crossroads following a disappointing season. They started the year 26-10 but finished 23-23 and fell to fifth in the Western Conference with a 49-33 record. Utah lost in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The year before, Utah finished first in the Western Conference but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.

It's fair to wonder whether the Jazz have gone as far as they've can with their current core.

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are great players in their own right, and they are flanked by talented guards and wings (Mike Conley Jr., Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson), but the Jazz can't seem to advance past the conference semifinals with this current group.

However, it doesn't appear that Jazz brass is looking to make a coaching change. Per Amick:

....the 55-year-old remains highly regarded by everyone from second-year owner Ryan Smith to first-year basketball CEO Danny Ainge to general manager Justin Zanik. The Jazz’s series-ending loss to Dallas in Game 6 of their first-round matchup on Thursday doesn’t change that, and sources say ownership and management do not see Snyder as part of the problem.

If anything, a potential move away from the Jazz sidelines would originate from Snyder himself, per Amick.

"Sources say Snyder has been unsure of what his coaching future might hold all season, and his plan has been to see how things ended and then reassess his own view of it all from there," Amick wrote.

"In terms of what might come next, it appears nearly every scenario is on the table."

Snyder has done very well in eight seasons in Utah, making the playoffs in each of his last six campaigns. He also took over a team that went 25-57 in 2013-14 before undergoing a 13-win improvement.

Therefore, it's understandable why the Lakers could be interested. The question now seems to be what Snyder wants to do, and there isn't much clarity on that front. For now, he remains the Jazz coach with one year left on his deal.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a methodical head coaching search, and it appears the potential availability of two coaches they view as candidates for the job is the reason.

L.A. is "moving deliberately at least in part because" the franchise is waiting to see if Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers or Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is made available this offseason, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported in early April that the Lakers were interested in Rivers. However, his contract with the Sixers runs through the 2024-25 season, and he'd likely have to be fired in order to head West.

Based on how the 76ers have done this season, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 51-31 record and currently in a second-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, it's hard to imagine the franchise would part ways with Rivers this summer.

That said, Rivers denied the Lakers coaching rumors in April, telling reporters he wasn't interested in the position and was "very happy" coaching the Sixers:

We talk a lot here, and everybody is happy here. We want to get this right. I came here for one reason. Like I said when I took [the job], you're going to like some of the things I do and not gonna like, and from a coaching point, you really can't care about that. But I am committed to winning. I think if we can turn this around, which we have from when we first got here to now, but we want to win it. ... I'm not a candidate. I have a job — and I'm very happy at my job.

It's not necessarily surprising that the Lakers are interested in Rivers, though. The 60-year-old has been coaching in the NBA since 1999, with his most successful year coming in 2007-08 when he led the Boston Celtics to a title.

In 23 years in the NBA with the Celtics, Sixers, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers, Rivers is 1,043-735 in the regular season and 103-98 in the postseason. He has led his teams to the playoffs 18 times.

Snyder, who has rejected extension offers from the Jazz, has also been linked to the Lakers for a while. Stein reported in April that L.A.'s interest in the Jazz head coach was "serious," but there were questions about whether he would want to leave Utah to coach the Lakers "in their current state after the never-ending chaos that engulfed Vogel's last two seasons."

Fischer also reported earlier this week that Snyder doesn't view L.A. as an attractive landing spot, adding that he is "more often linked as a possible eventual replacement" for San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who is nearing retirement.

Snyder has been head coach of the Jazz since the 2014-15 season and has led the franchise to the playoffs in each of his last six seasons at the helm. However, Utah has failed to make it past the second round.

That said, Snyder is still an attractive candidate. In eight years as head coach of the Jazz, he is 372-264 in the regular season and 21-30 in the playoffs.

The Lakers fired Vogel after finishing 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record. That said, L.A.'s struggles weren't entirely his fault. The team struggled with injuries to superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis throughout the season, and the addition of Russell Westbrook proved to be a bust.

Considering the season the Lakers just had, the team's next head coach is going to have a lot of work to do. 

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly had internal discussions about the "possibility" of trading for Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving early this season.

Ian Begley of SNY reported that those talks occurred while Irving, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, sat out the early portion of the 2021-22 campaign after the Nets stated on Oct. 12 that he would not play with the team until he was eligible to become a "full participant."

Per Begley:

But some members of the Lakers organization discussed the possibility of trading for Irving during that stretch of the season, sources say. 

The deal would have obviously reunited Irving with LeBron James. It’s unclear if the Lakers reached any internal consensus on Irving at the time. And it doesn’t really matter at this point. Given where Brooklyn is at the moment, it would be surprising if the club didn’t sign Irving to a multi-year extension/new contract this summer as it continues to pursue a title.

At the time, Irving could play most road games, but he was ineligible to play home games in Brooklyn because of New York City's vaccine mandate.

Irving sat until Jan. 5, when the Nets changed course as the team lost a multitude of players because of injury or entrance into the league's health-and-safety protocols.

Irving played only road games for three months before the NYC vaccine mandate was lifted for performers and athletes.

If the Lakers had internal discussions regarding a trade for Irving, then it's unclear which players the team could have dealt for him.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook would have presumably been off the table. The rest of the roster largely consisted of veterans on one-year deals (e.g. Carmelo Anthony) or young, emerging players (e.g. Malik Monk) looking for better opportunities.

Irving is a seven-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player who just tied a career high with 27.4 points per game, so the Nets weren't about to trade him for nothing.

Hypothetically, it would have been interesting to see James and Irving reunited after the pair played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers and won the 2016 NBA title.

But ultimately, Irving holds a $36.5 million player option for the 2022-23 season. If he takes that, then he'll be a free agent in 2023.

The Nets can also sign him to a long-term extension, but a rocky season just ended with Brooklyn getting swept out of the first round by the Boston Celtics.

The few certainties are that Kevin Durant is there for the long haul, as is Ben Simmons, who are both on long-term contracts.

Irving is an extremely talented player and one of the best guards of his generation, but he's also been on the court for just 103 games over the past three years, and that could give the Nets pause regarding a long-term commitment.

For now, general manager Sean Marks and Co. have to figure out a blueprint to get the Nets to greater playoff heights.

Longtime NBA analyst Mark Jackson is among the finalists for the Sacramento Kings head coach opening, but it appears he's keeping his options open.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Friday that Jackson completed an interview with the Los Angeles Lakers for their head coach vacancy.

Jackson coached the Golden State Warriors for three seasons before being fired in 2014. He had a record of 121-109. The season after Jackson was fired, the Warriors won the NBA title under head coach Steve Kerr.

Despite Jackson's time away from the bench, he has support in the Lakers organization. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported last month that superstar forward LeBron James would be "very enthused" if the Lakers hired Jackson.

The Lakers' search has been slow-moving so far, but it seems to be picking up a bit. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that Los Angeles also completed an interview with former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts.

Former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was fired after a disappointing 33-49 season, ending his three-year run with the team, which began with the NBA title in 2020. Los Angeles had a poorly constructed roster that failed to find consistency.

Despite their struggles this season, the Lakers are expected to compete for the title next year with James and Anthony Davis leading the way. Los Angeles will hope to have a healthy roster and the right head coach to make that run.

There is reportedly talk within the NBA that the Los Angeles Lakers wouldn't be able to get a ton in return for superstar big man Anthony Davis in a trade because of his injury history.

Appearing Wednesday on ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith said: "I know for a fact by numerous executives I've spoken to, you can't get but so much value for Anthony Davis because he's perpetually injured and he's not reliable healthwise."

Davis helped lead the Lakers to a championship alongside LeBron James two seasons ago, but he has struggled mightily with injuries since then, playing a total of just 76 regular-season games over the past two seasons.

When healthy, the 29-year-old Davis is one of the best players in the NBA regardless of position. That is backed up by his eight All-Star selections, four All-NBA nods, four NBA All-Defensive Team choices and one championship in 10 seasons with the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans.

AD also boasts impressive career averages with 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field.

In his first season with the Lakers, which yielded a championship, Davis played in 62 out of 71 regular-season games and finished with averages of 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per contest.

He also came up huge in the playoffs with 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game in a co-starring role alongside James.

Expectations were huge for Davis after that, but injuries have wreaked havoc on him and prevented him from returning to that level of play.

Davis appeared in only 36 regular-season games in 2020-21, forcing the Lakers to go through the play-in tournament to make the playoffs. While the Lakers did make it, they were ousted in the first round by the eventual Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns.

This season, Davis played in just 40 games, and with James also missing significant time, the Lakers went 33-49 and didn't even qualify for the play-in tournament.

Davis was excellent when he played, though, averaging 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

One of the few ways the Lakers could shake up their roster significantly for next season and beyond would be to trade a major piece like Davis.

Davis is set to earn a total of nearly $80 million over the next two seasons, and he has a $43 million player option for 2024-25. That means a team would be taking on a sizable financial commitment if they traded for him.

It could be worth it if Davis can find a way to stay on the court, but if Smith is right about Davis' trade value, keeping AD and hoping for better injury luck is likely the best course of action for the Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will be the subject of an upcoming biopic.

Peacock announced it will premiere Shooting Stars, a film based on James' early life and high school career at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, in 2023 on the streaming service.

The movie will be adapted from the book of the same name, which was authored by James and Buzz Bissinger. 

Variety's Justin Kroll reported in November 2018 that James' production company, SpringHill Entertainment, had identified a director for the project. Joey Morona of Cleveland.com reported on April 1 that filming was slated to begin on April 18 in Cleveland and Akron.

James gained a national profile in high school, famously getting labeled "The Chosen One" on the cover of Sports Illustrated in February 2002. He was a three-time state champion and a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year before making the leap to the NBA.

The Los Angeles Lakers can't quit Phil Jackson. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Hall of Fame coach is "significantly involved" in the Lakers' search for a replacement for Frank Vogel.

"This is very much a committee in L.A. putting together this coaching search," Wojnarowski said Tuesday on NBA Today. "One person who is certainly significantly involved is Phil Jackson. He's got a voice in this. He did last time when they hired Frank Vogel, he and Kurt Rambis."

The involvement of Jackson and Rambis in the Lakers' coaching search is emblematic of the front-office woes that have been plaguing the franchise for the better part of a decade. While the arrival of LeBron James and Anthony Davis did result in the 2020 NBA championship, that is the only time in the last 10 years the Lakers have been out of the first round of the playoffs.

Lakers president Jeanie Buss has been hesitant throughout this time to seek counsel from people outside her inner circle. Jackson and Rambis are two of her closest confidants, and Rambis' wife Linda is one of her closest friends. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was Kobe Bryant's longtime agent and had an excellent working relationship with the franchise; Pelinka was hired alongside Lakers legend Magic Johnson.

The refusal to look for help outside this inner circle wouldn't be so concerning if Jackson and Rambis had better track records. While Jackson is arguably the greatest coach in NBA history, his tenure as an executive with the New York Knicks was a disaster. Rambis was Jackson's longtime assistant coach with the Lakers but was one of the NBA's worst coaches when he got chances at head coaching jobs and does not have a proven track record as an executive.

What's more, Jackson and LeBron James have a contentious relationship dating back to when Jackson called James' business associates a "posse" in 2016. 

After a complete mess of a season in 2021-22, Buss should be looking long and hard at bringing in true outside voices to right the ship. Instead, it seems it's more of the same.

The Los Angeles Lakers' search for a new head coach has been fairly slow-moving so far, but there's a reason for that.

NBA insider Marc Stein recently provided some details about the inner workings of the Lakers' pursuits. He noted that things aren't expected to come together quickly because "the Lakers need to find an established coach who can win LeBron James' buy-in" and the "most capable coaches are obviously employed elsewhere already."

NBA broadcaster and former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson is reportedly on the Lakers' radar. However, Stein notes that he's far from the top of the team's list and his candidacy is contingent upon "if he doesn't get the Sacramento [Kings] job." Stein added, "I don't get the sense—yet—that he has a strong chance in L.A."

Despite the fact that the team went 33-49 this year and failed to even qualify for the play-in tournament, Los Angeles still has expectations to be a title contender next season. That type of "win-now" mentality surely explains why the team's list of candidates includes a few coaches who are not currently available.

Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard was expected to be a prime choice for the Lakers because of his history with James, as they were teammates on the Miami Heat. Howard also joined Miami's coaching staff after his playing career ended. But it was reported weeks ago that Howard desires to remain at Michigan so he can continue coaching his sons Jace and Jett.

Los Angeles is reportedly interested in going after Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, but both of them are not currently available. Stein noted that pursuing a coach who is still under contract with another team "comes with complications." Nurse also recently affirmed his commitment to the Raptors, saying he's "focused on coaching this team."

According to Stein, Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham is the "most sensible name from the league's assistant coaching ranks" to be sought after by the Lakers. Ham is believed to be "long overdue for his head-coaching shot." Stein also added that Ham "has the requisite personality and presence to embrace the challenge of coaching James."

It's highly unlikely that the Lakers will hire someone with no prior head-coaching experience, but at this point they might have to get creative in their search to find a coach who would lead them back to title contention.