Report: Lakers taking unconventional approach to find next head coach

The Los Angeles Lakers need a new head coach and choosing one will be a decision that will likely have ramifications that will trickle down to their personnel decisions during the summer.

According to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Purple and Gold will take a somewhat different approach than other teams when it comes to doing due diligence on head coaching candidates.

“They’re doing this search a little differently than other teams might,” said Wojnarowski on “NBA Countdown” on Friday. “Typically, teams will ask for permission on maybe up to a dozen candidates — a large number, start interviewing them one after another, do sometimes two or three in a day on Zoom, bring them in in person. The Lakers, what I’m told they’re gonna do, is essentially call for permission on a couple guys at a time, talk to those coaches, think about it and then move on to a next group of two, perhaps three.”

Wojnarowski also said that L.A. has already asked the Milwaukee Bucks for permission to interview Darvin Ham, who has been an assistant coach for them under Mike Budenholzer since the 2018-19 campaign. Ham is a former NBA player, and he even started out as an assistant coach with the Lakers late in the Kobe Bryant era.

But perhaps the Lakers’ top coaching candidate as of now is Quin Snyder, who has been with the Utah Jazz for the last several years.

Although many feel the Jazz fell short of expectations this season by finishing just fifth in the Western Conference and losing in the first round of the playoffs, Snyder has done a solid job with them.

Last year, he guided them to the best record in the NBA, and they have had one of the league’s most efficient offenses the last two seasons.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has said that he would like to hire a successor to Frank Vogel by the NBA draft, which takes place in late June.