Darvin Ham rejected Phoenix Suns coaching opportunity after Lakers firing

Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Despite leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the playoffs in both of his seasons as head coach, Darvin Ham still got fired from the organization. His Lakers tenure ends with a respectable win rate of 54.9%, including a 9-12 record in the playoffs.

Now, Ham finds himself looking for work again, and according to one NBA insider, he has already turned down one opportunity to land on his feet with another contending team.

In Marc Stein’s latest on Substack, the NBA insider details a situation where Mike Budenholzer tried to get Ham to join his Phoenix Suns coaching staff and what he did when the former Lakers coach said no.

“League sources say Budenholzer made a run at trying to convince Darvin Ham to join his staff in Phoenix, but Ham — fired as Lakers coach on May 3 — is said to have understandably passed after two exacting seasons in Lakerland. The Suns responded by asking David Fizdale, from Vogel’s staff, to stay on as an assistant coach on Budenholzer’s new staff after initially offering him a front office role.”

NBA insider Marc Stein on Darvin Ham’s Phoenix Suns coaching opportunity

Even though he won’t be coaching there, Ham still has two years left on his original Lakers contract, so there’s no need to find a new job right away. Yet, many believe we haven’t seen the last of Ham as an NBA head coach. Whether he gets back involved as an assistant first or is able to land a head coach job again remains to be seen, but there’s obviously interest from other franchises.