Are the Lakers interviewing J.R. Smith for their head coach role? Debunking viral tweet amid LA's coaching search

As the LA Lakers pivot to the next stage of their extensive coaching search, uncertainty remains surrounding who is the frontrunner to land the job. On Tuesday, a report went viral suggesting that 2013 Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith emerged as a candidate. However, the report was a hoax.

LA has been searching for a new coach since firing Darvin Ham on May 3 following its 4-1 first-round playoff series loss to the Denver Nuggets. For most of the ensuing weeks, former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick and New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego were reported as the franchise's top targets.

However, last week, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers were focused on trying to lure UConn Huskies coach Dan Hurley away from the NCAA. Their efforts proved futile, though, as the reigning back-to-back NCAA champion reportedly declined their six-year, $70 million offer on Monday.

In the aftermath of Hurley's decision, NBA Centel, a parody account of the popular NBA news outlet NBA Central, reported that LA would interview Smith.

Smith played alongside Lakers superstar forward LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015 to 2018, winning the 2016 NBA championship together. He later joined James in LA in 2020 to finish his final season (2019-20), winning another title with the 20-time All-Star.

However, despite Smith's connection to James, no credible source has reported his coaching candidacy. According to a Monday update from The Athletic's Jovan Buha, "there has not been a clear Plan B for the Lakers" since getting rebuffed by Hurley.

So, the franchise is seemingly still evaluating its previously reported candidates.

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Lakers reportedly hope to hire next coach by 2024 NBA draft

As for the Lakers' timeline for hiring their next coach, Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday that they're aiming to make a decision by the NBA draft. This year's draft takes place on June 26 and 27, giving LA around two more weeks to evaluate candidates.

Wojnarowski added that "James Borrego is expected to remain part of the group and the Lakers could do their first formal interview with JJ Redick." However, no clear favorite was named, with the veteran ESPN analyst seemingly hinting that Redick is only beginning to be viewed as a serious candidate.

Thus, it appears Lakers fans will have to keep waiting for updates regarding the next phase of the organization's coaching interview process.

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