NBA Rumors: The Los Angeles Lakers are still holding out hope they can pry Doc Rivers away from the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s been over a month since the season officially ended for the Los Angeles Lakers, but the offseason will be here soon and the team has plenty of work to do if they want to right the ship before the start of next season.
And one of the first orders of business for the team is to hire a new head coach. The Lakers elected to move on from Frank Vogel and have already begun their coaching search. There have been reports of a finalists list that include Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, and Terry Stotts.
Though, according to another report, the Lakers are still holding out hope that they can pry Doc Rivers away from the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s still under contract with the team, but he’s reportedly been on the Lakers’ radar for some time.
Lakers haven’t “abandoned hope” that Doc Rivers will become available to hire this summer, per @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/vgPl6wfVLQ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 23, 2022
Rivers would be a natural target for the Lakers. He’s a seasoned coach that has had high-level success in the league. Though, over his last couple of spots as a head coach, he’s left plenty to be desired.
For the most part, though, he’s still one of the most respected coaches in the league. And you’d have to think that extends to the players too. If LeBron James has any input on the new head coach, you’d have to assume that Rivers would be near the top of his list.
At the same rate, that also doesn’t mean he should be the hire.
The Lakers have some big decisions to make this offseason and they will go a long way in determining how one of the most important seasons in recent history will playout for the franchise.