JJ Redick’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers was a lot for a rookie head coach, but he handled it well. It’s good that he got that experience in his first season because his second season could bring even more chaos.

The Lakers won’t have another player like Luka Doncic land in their lap, a kind of chaos that benefited LA, but in 2025-26, the team could deal with turmoil behind the scenes.

Los Angeles signed Deandre Ayton to a two-year deal after he and Portland finalized a buyout agreement. Jason Quick of The Athletic reported that the Trail Blazers could no longer deal with Ayton’s “bad ways,” including being late to practices and throwing “tantrums” in the locker room (subscription required).

Signing with the Lakers gives Ayton the perfect opportunity to flip the narrative, but if his poor effort continues in LA, things between him and Redick could get dicey.

Even if things with Ayton go well, another storm is brewing for the Lakers. It’s a storm far bigger than Ayton.

JJ Redick could be in for a wild ride in his second season with Lakers

LeBron James exercised his $52.6 million player option for next season, after Los Angeles didn’t engage in extension talks with him.

Rich Paul released a statement to ESPN, making it clear that LeBron’s interest is in winning a championship. The Lakers’ offseason moves haven’t reflected that, as they value future financial flexibility.

Luka Doncic is LA’s new star. The focus is on Luka, not LeBron. There has been plenty of trade speculation about LeBron so far this summer. However, last week, The Athletic reported that LeBron and the Lakers hadn’t engaged in trade discussions (subscription required) or talked about a buyout scenario. LA expects LeBron to be at training camp.

Things could get messy with LeBron, especially if the Lakers get off to a lackluster start. The trade rumors could fire back up again before the February deadline. LeBron could start sending cryptic messages again through what he wears and what he posts on social media.

If things go south with Ayton or LeBron, Redick won’t be the one to blame, but he’ll be the one who has to deal with it the most. He’ll have to find ways to diffuse the situations. Doing so might not be that hard for Ayton, but LeBron could be a whole different story.

Is JJ Redick ready for that challenge?