The Los Angeles Lakers stunningly announced a contract extension for JJ Redick when general manager Rob Pelinka and the head coach met the media on Sept. 25, but the unnecessary move will quickly turn sour. The franchise was showing faith in the first-time head coach, but it was completely unnecessary. He signed a four-year deal in 2024 and reportedly added two seasons on after one year.
Redick showed some warts in year one. He ran more innovative sets and actions than Darvin Ham ever showed, and the Lakers won 50 regular-season games to grab the third seed. The excitement quickly ended in the playoffs as LA managed just one victory. Redick was thoroughly outcoached by Chris Finch in that series, and the Lakers' head man bafflingly didn’t make a substitution in the second half of Game 4.
Redick may have a bright future, but committing to him until 2030 is risky, especially with the franchise all-in on building around Luka Doncic. What if the superstar isn’t seeing eye-to-eye with the head coach? It would certainly be Redick who leaves, and the Lakers could be paying him without working for years to come.
Lakers will regret the unnecessary JJ Redick extension
The Lakers had three more seasons to figure out if Redick was their coach for the long haul. The 41-year-old played 15 seasons in the NBA. He knows the game and is committed to the grind of coaching. That doesn’t mean he is the right fit for this Lakers roster. Nobody knows that yet. Redick would not be the first quality coach to fail in a stop.
The Lakers are no strangers to firing head coaches. Since Phil Jackson's departure in 2011, LA has had eight different men leading their roster, and none of them lasted longer than three years. Redick’s original contract was set up perfectly. If the Lakers realized he wasn’t the leader they needed, they could have fired him after three years and ate just the final year of his contract. Now, they’d be paying him for three additional seasons.
Frank Vogel won a championship in the bubble and didn’t survive past the 2021-22 season. He was gone two years after winning a title. How did the Lakers know they wanted to commit to six years of Redick? Since 1970, only Pat Riley and Phil Jackson have coached the Lakers for more than 5 seasons. The math simply doesn’t make sense.
Redick is not Riley or Jackson. Those are Hall of Famers who have won championships. Redick has coached one year of basketball above the youth level. Showing faith is one thing, but this move is just foolish. The Lakers won one playoff game with a roster led by two of the 15 best players in the world. Luka Doncic and LeBron James were not 100 percent, but Redick’s game plans certainly did not help when the games mattered most.
The Los Angeles Lakers will regret giving JJ Redick this extension if history is the judge. The options are that he turns into a Hall of Fame coach or is fired before 2030. After year one, the safe bet is on him looking for a new gig. The Lakers could have at least waited to see if Redick showed growth in year two, but even that was too much. This was a baffling move, and one that may turn sour quickly. All fans can do is hope for the best.