Let the Executions Begin, NBA Coaching Hires and Fires
NBA Next Coach Odds, Off-Season First Drama
NBA next coach odds are starting to trickle in. We take a look at some teams making coaching changes and see what the oddsmakers are predicting. As always, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be scrutinized and discussed, and everyone will be waiting to hear who will be headed to take Darvin Ham’s job in Los Angeles.
Aside from Ham, we expect a few other coaches to be let go this offseason. We take a look at those names and take a general look at the coaching landscape to give us an idea of what drama and betting may take place this offseason.
The NBA regular season is over and NBA fans everywhere are checking the NBA betting odds, NBA playoff bracket, and NBA championship odds.
While the betting won’t stop during the playoffs on any of those, we are going to look at the NBA next coach odds to see if there is any value to find.
LeBron James, the Coach Killer
James could be considered a coach killer.“The King” has played 21 NBA seasons, and has won four NBA championships. And there has always been drama in the 17 seasons where he failed to reach the mountaintop.
Even though he is considered one of the greatest and most popular athletes of all time, the media (and James himself) often have created some sort of fall guy for his shortcomings.
After Darvin Ham’s firing on Friday, James will now have seven coaches’ blood on his hands.
It is unclear if Ham deserved his firing, he reached the Western Conference Finals last season and was swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. Over his time with the Lakers, Ham has been criticized for rotational and strategic issues. But some don’t think the Lakers’ playoff losses were his fault.
Ham has had championship expectations put on a team that simply isn’t championship-caliber. A team led by 39-year-old LeBron James and Anthony Davis could be contenders. But not with the lack of firepower that surrounds them.
Now, for the third time during James’s Lakers tenure, the Lakers will be on the hunt for a new head coach, with James likely being a loud voice in the decision-making process. Let’s take a look at some of the potential candidates to take the reigns in Los Angeles.
Hollywood Head Coach
The current NBA next coach odds for the Lakers are as follows:
- Mike Budenholzer +225
- JJ Redick +260
- Tyronn Lue +290
- Kenny Atkinson +550
- Charles Lee +3000
- Terry Stotts +3500
After that, there is a list of longer odds candidates (over +3500) of former James teammates Juwan Howard and Rajon Rondo, Jay Wright, Mark Jackson, Adrian Griffin, and many more.
For much of the week, JJ Redick was the odds-on favorite to join James and AD as the next head coach of the Lakers. Redick has been applying to head coach jobs for a year or two now, and many think his great basketball mind is ready to have an NBA head coaching job.
A few months ago, James and Redick started their podcast together, talking basketball strategy, and many think this is reason to believe they could be teaming up both on the court and behind the microphones.
The thought of a young rookie head coach coming into the Lakers position doesn’t sound ideal. Redick would be a less respected voice in that locker room compared to James, Many people in Redick’s position would rather take over an NBA team like the Charlotte Hornets (Redick is a top candidate for that position as well), who have young moldable NBA players and lower expectations.
obsessed with the idea of jj redick becoming lebron’s head coach and them still hosting a podcast together
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) May 3, 2024
Former Buck’s head coach Mike Buddenholzer is now the top candidate for the Lakers. He makes more sense as a two-time Coach of the Year. He also has experience coaching championship-level teams but may be too expensive.
“It’s going to take eight figures a year to hire Mike Budenholzer,” Brian Windhorst of ESPN said recently. Will Jeanie Buss and the Lakers be willing to fork over that amount of dough? Only time will tell.
Another Coach may be on the Move
Billy Donovan could also be on the move. The two-time National Champion-winning coach has led the Bulls for four seasons. And yet they have been smack in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings each year. Most fans know that the middle is the least ideal place to be.
Teams without championship hopes and no young stars to build around in the lottery are in basketball purgatory. If the Bulls decide they want out of that purgatory, Donovan’s head could be on the chopping block.
For NBA betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
