What Lakers hiring JJ Redick could mean for LeBron James’ future

The Los Angeles Lakers are close to hiring their next head coach and many fans are wondering what it means for free agent-to-be LeBron James.

According to Shams Charania of the Athletic, the Lakers are "zeroing in" on hiring J.J. Redick as the next coach of the franchise.

James, who has distanced himself from the public notion that he has been involved with the decision to hire a new head coach, famously hosts a podcast with Redick called "Mind the Game."

Does hiring J.J. Redick help the Lakers keep LeBron James?

While it's unclear whether the all-time legend will return to the Lakers this offseason, the hiring of his podcast partner likely helps the Lakers case with James. Whether this completely seals James returning for another season is unclear with his entire free agency process yet to play out.

Since the talk about Bronny James being drafted with the sole purpose of luring James has developed, the older James has walked back his comments about playing with his son. Yes, James likely wants to play with his son in the league. Still, it's becoming clear that the younger James might be in danger of wasting his career in the NBA if he gets drafted into a situation where the team only wants him so they can sign one of the best players of all time.

With all of this yet to be determined, it's hard to know whether the Lakers can re-sign James this offseason.

Even though Redick could end up being an amazing head coach, it's hard to see how the coach will not have some growing pains. With the Lakers looking to compete for a title next season, it's easy to see how these growing pains could be a big reason why LA will not finish with a top-six record in a very competitive Western Conference.

It's likely that James will like the Redick hire (if it happens) since the two have collaborated in the past. Still, the hiring of Redick doesn't guarantee that the franchise will be able to retain the services of a top-ten star in the league. This will likely be determined by outside factors which have nothing to do with who is sitting behind the bench.