EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) 鈥 The Los Angeles Lakers know head coach JJ Redick will be a part of their future going forward, and plan to give superstar forward LeBron James every chance to do the same.
General manager Rob Pelinka said Redick received a contract extension this summer after the 41-year-old completed his first season leading the Lakers, who went 50-32 to finish third in the Western Conference and lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in a first-round playoff series.
Pelinka snuck the announcement into his opening statement of a joint press conference with Redick on Thursday before training camp opens next week.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not lost on me, the sort of rarity of a first-time head coach getting an extension,鈥 Redick said. 鈥淟ike, I recognize how fortunate I am to be with an organization that supports me that way.鈥
Getting Redick to sign a new deal after superstar point guard through 2028 in August leaves James as the last piece of the Lakers鈥 headlining trio without certainty after this season.
James, 40, is going into his unprecedented 23rd professional campaign after . What happens after the upcoming season is uncertain, but Pelinka said that if James wants to continue playing, the Lakers want him to do it for them.
鈥淭he first thing we want to do in terms of LeBron and his future is just give him the absolute respect to choose his story with his family in terms of how many years he鈥檚 going to continue to play,鈥 Pelinka said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 earned that right, and he鈥檚 the best one to talk about that in terms of how many years he鈥檇 like to play. 鈥 We would love if LeBron鈥檚 story would be to retire as a Laker.鈥
Redick met twice with James during the summer, once in the Hamptons in New York and again in Los Angeles, and came away convinced the seemingly ageless legend is ready to go after averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds last season with the Lakers.
鈥淚 came away from that thinking he鈥檚 in a great spot mentally and know he鈥檚 going to give us his absolute best,鈥 Redick said.
James鈥 commitment comes after an offseason where Doncic was seemingly the focus of the Lakers鈥 roster construction, with the addition of center DeAndre Ayton on a two-year contract giving the 26-year-old a much-needed partner in pick-and-roll scenarios.
Doncic, who was in one of the biggest and most unexpected trades in NBA history, spent the offseason working to improve his physical fitness. The early returns on his development with were impressive, and Doncic indicated to Redick his commitment to maintaining those changes is for the long haul.
鈥淚 get the sense from talking to him all summer, spending time with him, not only just here but at the Backstreet Boys (concert in Las Vegas) is that this is his life now,鈥 Redick said. 鈥淭his is his routine. This is just a daily commitment to the new standard that he set for himself. ... I expect the best version of Luka, and it鈥檚 my job as a coach to bring that out on a daily basis.鈥
Doncic is the only player the Lakers currently have on a confirmed contract past the 2026-27 season, and there is significant flexibility to make in-season changes if the team wants to do so. Pelinka said he would likely hold off on any such moves until at least 20 games have been played.
In spite of that uncertainty, the Lakers carry their typical sky-high expectations into the season, made all the more tantalizing by having a full offseason to figure out how to maximize the Doncic and James partnership.
Redick isn鈥檛 shying away from the idea of a championship.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 always pressure on the Lakers,鈥 he said. 鈥淐oming into this building every day, you鈥檙e constantly reminded of what Lakers鈥 excellence is, so that doesn鈥檛 change, for me at least, year to year.鈥
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