Darvin Ham will likely soon see his tenure as the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach come to an end. Los Angeles is coming off a humiliating loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
These Lakers didn’t look anything like legitimate contenders throughout the entire 2023-24 season, culminating in more postseason failures for the organization.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Ham likely won’t be back for a third season on the Lakers’ bench.
“I’m told that Darvin Ham’s job is in serious peril and it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be back for a third season. There was a disconnect in the locker room in terms of adjustments and rotations.”
Report on Ham’s future with the Lakers
This really shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Ham found himself as a central figure in drama that defined the Lakers’ 2023-24 season.
Related: 4 Los Angeles Lakers head coach candidates to replace Darvin Ham
Darvin Ham likely to be fired by Los Angeles Lakers due to “disconnect”
Leading up to the start of the playoffs, reports surfaced that several Lakers players tried to get Ham fired early in the regular season.
“A source told Hoops Wire that Lakers players wanted assistant coach Phil Handy to replace Ham earlier in the season. However, Los Angeles owner Jeanie Buss is a fan of Ham and she has never thought about firing him as coach,” report on Ham situation.
Once the playoffs started, the disconnect grew even more. That included Ham having a war of words with star big man Anthony Davis.
Meanwhile, the embattled head coach threw his own players under the bus after losing to the Nuggets in five games.
“If you’re coaching a team and one of your starters is like 10 games in a row, just sh*tting the bed, what are you going to do?”
Darvin Ham on criticism from media
As for the Lakers, they promise to have an eventful summer. LeBron James is opting out of his contract and will hit NBA free agency. What he decides will tell us a lot about the trajectory of this organization moving forward. At least for now, it does appear that the Lakers will be looking for a new head coach.