The Los Angeles Lakers bowed out of the NBA Playoffs on Monday night and a new report suggests the club could soon make a coaching change.
Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick report in The Athletic that second-year head coach Darvin Ham’s future with the team is “in serious peril” with some sources telling the publication that “it’s highly unlikely he will return.”
The Athletic report adds that a final decision will be made in the coming days and that Ham has two more years on his contract which pays roughly $5 million per season.
Ham seemed resigned to his fate when speaking to reporters after the Lakers lost 108-106 to the Nuggets in Game 5 Monday.
“I’m not going to feel sorry for myself, for ourselves. It’s an unbelievable franchise to represent,” Ham said. “But I’ve seen a lot in my first two years in this seat. I’ll continue to work, to get better and to control what I can control.”
Ham’s tenure in Los Angeles produced mixed results. The Lakers reached the Western Conference Final last season and in December won the inaugural in-season tournament. But his overall record in two seasons was only 90-74 and the Lakers twice had to compete in play-in games to reach the playoffs.
The Lakers were 47-35 this season and reached the playoffs with a win over the Pelicans in the play-in before bowing out to the Nuggets for the second year in a row.
“It’s tough man, the completion of my second year in this seat. It’s a lot,” Ham reflected.
