Has James Borrego overtaken JJ Redick as favorite for Lakers HC job?

The Los Angeles Lakers put all their eggs in the Dan Hurley head coaching basket. But after seeing him ultimately decide to stay at UConn, what's next for one of the most prestigious franchises in sports? Where do they go from here?

Before Hurley, the Lakers had their eyes on several candidates, including ESPN broadcaster/renowned podcaster JJ Redick and New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego. Both appeared to be on the shortlist of options, particularly the former. Could Los Angeles pick up where they left off before they relentlessly pursued the face of UConn's men's college basketball program?

In the wake of Hurley's announcement to remain in the college ranks, intel from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN suggests that is the case. However, his reporting leads us to believe that Borrego may have overtaken Redick as the favorite to be the Lakers' next head coach.

Has James Borrego overtaken JJ Redick as the favorite for the Lakers HC job?

Per Wojnarowski, Borrego is "expected to remain part of [the group]" in consideration before noting the Lakers "could" do their first formal interview with Redick. Considering Los Angeles hasn't even met with the latter yet, it feels safe to assume the former is ahead of him in the pecking order. 

Conversely, Borrego has already had two meetings with the Lakers. Usually, that may indicate he has the inside track to the coaching gig. But there has been speculation that his contractual obligations with ABC/ESPN force him to wait until the conclusion of the NBA Finals.

Roughly a week ago, Redick leaving the commentary booth for the Lakers felt like a foregone conclusion. Despite this, he has had "minimal" contact with the team.

What's going on? Were we led astray about the Lakers-Redick pairing? In light of Hurley spurning Los Angeles, one NBA insider believes the announcer/media personality could be turned off by how things transpired. So, Borrego could be the favorite by default.

Regardless of how the Lakers rank the two, the decision may not be entirely up to them. Borrego is one of the finalists for the Cleveland Cavaliers' vacant head coaching opportunity. 

Borrego has been an NBA coach since 2010. He spent his first two years as an assistant for the then-New Orleans Hornets before assuming a similar position for the Orlando Magic from 2012-15. He spent three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs before getting his shot to be a head coach for the Charlotte Hornets in 2018.

Charlotte went 138-163 throughout Borrego's tenure from 2018-22. The Hornets experienced two 10-win year-over-year improvements during his stint. Since then, he has been a part of Pelicans head coach Willie Green's coaching staff in New Orleans. According to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, his "offensive approach" to the game has garnered attention.