Cavs are hard to watch, and LeBron knows it

Darvin Ham’s future as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers is in “serious peril,” according to Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Some close to the organization have indicated that Ham’s return next season is highly unlikely.

The Lakers plan to reassess the season over the next couple of days before reaching a decision.

Ham made several decisions throughout the season that caused doubt within the Lakers. For example, Ham benching Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell during a losing streak after the In-Season Tournament did not sit well with players nor the organization.

There was a sense that Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish were allowed to play through their mistakes, unlike Reaves, Russell, and Rui Hachimura.

Many within the Lakers felt that Ham rarely blamed his own schemes, game plans, or rotations.

Ham signed a four-year contract with the Lakers in 2022.

Stephen A. Smith and ESPN have agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal. Smith will continue to star on “First Take” while scaling back some of his other required appearances. Smith will be less omnipresent on ESPN and will not be a regular on their premier NBA pregame show anymore. Smith was previously earning $12 million per year with the network.

Smith has been a fixture on ESPN’s top NBA pregame show, “Countdown,” which precedes The Finals. ESPN has signed a licensing agreement with TNT for the Charles Barkley-led “Inside The NBA.” Smith was supportive of the move.

Smith will be freed up to allow make more appearances on other platforms to talk politics and earn more money outside of ESPN. Smith has talked about the possibility of running for president.