No team does a coaching search quite like the Los Angeles Lakers, and this year’s process to replace Darvin Ham was no exception.

Following Ham’s ouster, JJ Redick initially emerged as a top candidate for the job, only for the Lakers to publicly shift their attention to UConn coach Dan Hurley.

But after LA’s courting of Hurley fell through, Redick quickly re-emerged as the favorite for the job. The LeBron James-led Lakers hired Redick as their head coach late last week, followed by his first press conference in the role on Monday.

How successful Redick will be in this role will depend on a number of variables, from who he hires as his assistant coaches to what GM Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office manage to do to bolster the roster this summer.

Still, it’s interesting to look at LA’s odds in the Western Conference and beyond ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday.

LA Lakers’ Odds to Win 2024-25 NBA Finals

LA Lakers’ Odds to Win Western Conference

2024-25 NBA Pacific Division Odds

Few sportsbooks currently offer 2024-25 division odds, but here’s how DraftKings handicaps the Pacific Division for next year:

• Suns: +255
• Clippers: +260
• Warriors: +360
• Lakers: +370
• Kings: +750

LA Lakers 2024-25 Betting Analysis

Redick was brought in to make this team a championship contender after the Nuggets humbled LA the last two years (with a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference Finals in ’23 and a 4-1 gentleman’s sweep in ’24).

The Lakers (probably) return two veteran All-Stars who give this team a high floor — especially if both James, 39, and Anthony Davis, 31, are as healthy as they were in ’23-24.

Last year marked the first time Davis, whose contract runs through ’27-28, played over 70 games in a season since ’17-18. James also played in more games in ’23-24 than he had since his final season in Cleveland back in ’17-18.

If those two are back — it’s worth noting that James is yet to sign his $51.4 million player option for ’24-25 — and can stay on the court, it would all but guarantee another trip to the playoffs.

Roster Questions Abound Ahead of NBA Draft

To hang with Denver and the best of the West, James and Davis need an upgraded supporting cast. Right now, though, it’s unclear who will fill out this roster. Guard Austin Reaves and forward Rui Hachimura, plus the Lakers’ draft picks (No. 17 and No. 55), are among their tradable assets.

This offseason, the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray and Tre Mitchell are among potential targets for LA and other teams eyeing a major swing.

With no guarantee about the future of any player besides Davis (though it’s hard to imagine the Lakers hiring James’ podcast partner as coach, then losing James himself), betting on the Lakers in any of the currently available futures markets would require a massive leap of faith.

For now, it’s best to wait until we know (much) more about the roster that Redick will be coaching — and the staff he’ll have to help him navigate his first season on the sidelines — before making a play on this team’s ’24-25 Finals, Western Conference or Pacific Division title odds.

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