The Los Angeles Lakers have received permission to interview Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson for a franchise coaching job, sources told ESPN Wednesday.
Sources said the Lakers have been meeting systematically with the candidates in recent weeks and plan to speak with Atkinson in the near future.
Atkinson built a reputation for player development as an assistant and head coach in the NBA. He spent more than three years as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, leading them to appear in the Extension in his third season in 2018-2019.
Atkinson, who is completing his first season with Steve Kerr’s coaching side with the Warriors, also appeared as a candidate for the Charlotte Hornets. Sources said Atkinson did an interview with the Hornets in recent days. Sources said Mike D’Antoni and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Hamm are also serious candidates for the Hornets pipeline.
The Lakers spoke with several coaches, including Hamm and former Portland coach Terry Stotts, Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin and former Golden State coach Mark Jackson. The Lakers have shown no urgency to make a deal in the immediate future, nor is there a real necessity to do so.
The Lakers fired Frank Vogel after the 33-49 season keeping them out of the season.
Atkinson went to 118-190 in over three years with the Nets, inherited a complete rebuild and showed improvement each season until he quit after the injury-plagued 2019-20 season. He spent the 2020-2021 season with the Los Angeles Clippers before joining Kerr’s staff as one of the highest-paid line assistants in the league.