Los Angeles Lakers' head-coaching finalists include Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, ex-Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, sources say

Sources told Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday that Darvin Ham and Terry Stotts are two of the candidates who have advanced to the final round of interviews for the Los Angeles Lakers coaching job.

Sources said that former Trail blazers coach Terry Stotts was interviewed by the Lakers earlier this month. Prior to his dismissal, Stotts had reached the playoffs in his final eight consecutive seasons on the job, including two trips to the Western Conference semifinals and a berth in the conference finals in 2019. He has an ability to build relationships with his players.

Since last year, Ham has been an assistant to Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer. Since 2020, Ham has been interviewed for several jobs and considered one of the top head-coaching candidates.

Sources said that the Lakers have interviewed several candidates, including Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin and former Warriors coach Mark Jackson.

The Lakers are looking for a new coach after they missed the playoffs.