Lakers Rumors: Darvin Ham Agrees to 4-Year Contract as New Head Coach

The Los Angeles Lakers hired Darvin Ham as their new head coach on Friday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium says that Ham is going to sign a four-year contract.

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Ham made a strong impression on Lakers in several areas, including his championship pedigree, his commanding presence, history of coaching stars and toughness. Ham will start assembling a staff expected to include head coaching experience. https://t.co/8hCVatbraw

L.A. missed out on the playoffs despite having championship ambitions, as evidenced by the firing of Vogel on April 11.

The inability to integrate Russell Westbrook into the lineup after the Lakers acquired him from the Washington Wizards was one of the reasons why Los Angeles struggled.

The Lakers missed the playoffs in six straight seasons under Mike D&Antoni, and were replaced by Vogel.

The decision paid off immediately, as the team went 52-19 and won the NBA title.

The Lakers didn't come close to meeting the bigger expectations of winning a title over the past two seasons.

L.A. needed to go through the playoffs in order to make the playoffs in 2020-21, but it fell to the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

When the Lakers were unable to make the play-in tournament in 2021, there was no chance of Vogel sticking around.

Even though the Lakers were a flawed team this past season, they were still an attractive option for prospective coaching candidates.

The unmistakable aura of the Lakers still exists, as well as the right supporting cast and coaching, and the duo of LeBron and AD can still achieve great things.

The Lakers are trying to bounce back from last season's massive disappointment, and they are turning to someone with no prior NBA head coaching experience.

He was an assistant coach at the NBA level for the Lakers and Hawks before moving to the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks won a championship at the end of the 2020-21 season.

It is a risk for the Lakers to go with someone who isn't firmly established as an NBA head coach, but since Ham won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, it shouldn't take him long to earn his stripes.