The Los Angeles Lakers are moving swiftly to prepare for the team's next head coach.
After Darvin Ham was fired on Friday, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported that the Lakers have also parted ways with their entire assistant coaching staff.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin later confirmed the report, adding that assistant coach Phil Handy was among the staff members that were fired. Handy had been with the Lakers since 2019, serving as an assistant under Ham as well as former head coach Frank Vogel.
Handy's departure is surprising in particular, as he's been a well-respected assistant coach since he was first hired by the Lakers ahead of the 2011-12 season. Since then, he's spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors before eventually returning to Los Angeles.
His name has been brought up as a possible replacement head coach in the past, with Sam Amick of The Athletic reporting on Jan. 5 that Handy was a "possible pick" to succeed Ham if he were to be fired.
However, a few of the Lakers' potential head coaching candidates were disclosed on Friday and Handy was not one of them. The Athletic's Shams Charania revealed that Los Angeles would be targeting former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, and former sharpshooter as well as current ESPN analyst JJ Redick.
While it's not uncommon for new head coaches to bring in their own staff of assistants, it's still a surprising move for the Lakers to clean house.
Although Los Angeles improved its win total by four in Ham's second year with the organization, their season ended much earlier than it did in 2023 after a five-game defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportLakers since 2020 bubble championship:<br><br>2021: 1st round loss vs. Suns ❌<br>2022: Missed playoffs ❌<br>2023: Swept in WCF vs. Nuggets 🧹<br>2024: 1st round loss vs. Nuggets ❌<br><br>😬 <a href="">
The Lakers will now enter the 2024 offseason searching for a head coach as well as a new coaching staff.
