This summer, it was less about who was coming to the Lakers and more about who wasn't.
Dan Hurley reportedly turned down an offer to become the Lakers' head coach, Klay Thompson chose Dallas over Los Angeles, and now Dwane Casey has reportedly withdrawn his name as a candidate to be part of JJ Redick's staff.
According to ESPN sources, Casey has withdrawn his name from consideration for a Lakers staff position. Casey struggled with the decision, but ultimately didn't want to relocate his family at this time. https://t.co/dWDkKzUOlY
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 3, 2024
Casey has coached in the NBA for more than 30 years and served as head coach of the Detroit Pistons from 2018-2023.
His coaching resume aligned perfectly with what vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and Redick cited as their ideal assistants during Redick's introductory press conference.
Another assistant candidate also went unselected, and with Terry Stotts reportedly set to coach the Golden State Warriors next year, it will be even tougher for the Lakers to make good on their promise to get head coaching experience off the bench.
This is concerning considering Redick is currently the only coach on the Lakers' staff and the number of available coaches is growing fewer by the day.
The offseason may be long, but building a staff quickly is crucial. Free agents will want to know who they'll play for besides Redick, and the Lakers already have summer league basketball looming, making it even tougher to coach young players and build a staff.
Redick confirmed Tuesday that Dane Johnson will serve as the Lakers' head coach during Summer League, with Bronny James and Dalton Knecht playing in both the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League.
The Lakers are reportedly willing to make a financial investment in an assistant coach, which raises the question of why the coaching staff is choosing not to come here.
If the Lakers can't hire the quality assistants they mentioned, this doesn't seem like an attractive job or franchise at this point.
That may seem unfair or exaggerated, but in the NBA, that perception quickly becomes reality.
For Pelinka and the Lakers, they need to start getting the talent they want.
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