The Los Angeles Lakers are still searching for a head coach, and everything points to one candidate, as they welcomed former player and current broadcaster J. J. Redick to his first official interview on Saturday, and several members of the organization spoke with the former Duke star about the team’s head coaching vacancy.

This move for Redick was a central figure in the team’s coach’s search as an outside favorite, after first contact at the NBA Draft Combine and now as a final candidate for a meeting with executive vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka, owner Jenny Buss and other key Lakers figures.

While some within the organization have said the team doesn’t necessarily need to hire a coach before the June 26-27 NBA draft, there are important decisions to make, including potentially trading up to three players from the first-round games.

While many took Reddick as a second option, his name once again was seen as a good idea after being at the top of the team’s list.

Lakers do have other candidates if needed

Previously, the Lakers welcomed New Orleans assistant coach James Borrego and Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley. The team offered Hurley the job, but he opted out of a six-year, $70 million contract to stay with the Huskies.

The search for Darwin Hom’s replacement took more than a month, with Pelinka first leading the process through a series of informal conversations. In addition to Borrego, Hurley and Redick, the team also spoke with several other candidates, including Boston assistant Sam Cassell, Denver assistant David Adelman and Minnesota assistant Micah Nori.

Redick has spoken to Pelinka several times since Homme’s firing, according to people familiar with the situation, who were not authorized to speak publicly. However, from the early stages of the search, outside observers considered Redick a candidate. He was briefly linked to an opening in Charlotte before moving on to the Lakers‘ pursuit of the top spot.