Report: Juwan Howard expected to be candidate for Lakers head coaching vacancy

You can tell it’s the offseason for college basketball, because Juwan Howard’s name has already been heard in the NBA rumor mill.

According to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Howard is expected to emerge as a candidate for the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Lakers, who dismissed Frank Vogel earlier this afternoon.

Howard wasn’t the only coach mentioned in the report, as Nick Nurse, head coach of the Toronto Raptors, is expected to be among the top targets for the Lakers.

Don’t freak out, Michigan fans: it’s important to note that Howard becoming a candidate does not necessarily mean he will interview for the job, or even entertain it. This simply means the Lakers are interested in him as a potential option.

Through three seasons as the head coach, Howard boasts a 61-32 record (.656) with the Michigan Wolverines, leading them to a Big Ten regular season title and an Elite Eight appearance in 2020-21, plus a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021-22.

Charania is one of the most plugged-in reporters when it comes to NBA reporting, so we have no reason not to trust him on this. NBA teams respect Howard as a coach, plain and simple. As has been the case with every offseason since Howard came to Ann Arbor, these NBA rumors are going to be hard to avoid.