NBA Rumors: Lakers have a made a decision on head coach Darvin Ham

In the wake of a first-round exit in the 2024 NBA playoffs, Darvin Ham seems to be on the hot seat at the Los Angeles Lakers. And it looks like the team has already made a decision about the head coach.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the purple and gold are planning to fire Ham, with the decision expected to be made by the end of this week to start looking at potential candidates.

“The latest I’ve heard is the plan is still to move on from Darvin at some point, likely by the end of the week, potentially as early as tomorrow. Then, the head coaching search will start,” Buha said on The Athletic NBA Show podcast, via Silver Screen and Roll.

Hired in 2022, Ham still has two more years under contract with the Lakers. In his first year at the job he led the team to the Western Conference Finals after a rollercoaster regular season. Los Angeles once again lacked consistency in the 2023-24, but its playoff journey ended sooner this time.

Darvin Ham looks on during a Lakers game.

“Already started to hear some names from different people,” Buha said on possible coaching targets for the Lakers, but clarified he’s “not going to comment on it yet until the Darvin situation is finalized. But, from what I’ve heard the last couple days, the plan is to still move on from Darvin.”

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Darvin Ham reacts to Lakers’ early playoff exit

Far from taking all the blame for the Lakers’ season ending prematurely, the second-year head coach blamed injuries and player performances for the first-round elimination at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

“It’s been extremely challenging,” Ham said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “Everyone that’s been in and out of the lineup. Being criticized for not having a consistent rotation when I don’t have consistent healthy bodies.

“The thing that frustrates me, and I love this job, I love the pressure that comes with it, I’ve always been calm in the midst of chaos … [But] common sense tends to go out the window when you talk about my job in particular. It’s amazing how people just skip that core part of having a consistency with your lineup is all predicated on health and performance.”