Lakers coach JJ Redick: Free agency thoughts potentially impacting results

Lakers coach JJ Redick says he thinks contract-year anxiety may be creeping into his team’s offensive approach.

After Thursday’s loss to the Clippers, Redick suggested that a roster filled with potential free agents is playing with one eye on the future. And it is showing on the court.

“Guys are worried about their futures,” Redick said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “That’s what happens when you’ve got a team full of free agents and player options. It gets in your head a little bit. ‘Played five minutes and haven’t got a shot yet.’ That’s a human thing. It’s not anybody’s fault.”

In other words, the Lakers might be pressing. Players might be thinking about touches, shots, and numbers instead of flow, pace, and reads.

Veteran guard Marcus Smart, who holds a player option for 2026-27, admitted it is not easy to completely block out contract concerns. But he also emphasized that self-awareness has to give way to team basketball.

“It is tough,” Smart said. “You’ve got guys fighting for contracts, fighting to stay on the team, and other guys who are more secure. But we’re all professionals. We’ve got to do our jobs. The human element comes into play sometimes, and you’ve got to snap out of it quicker than what we are doing.”

Redick’s message is clear: The Lakers will not fix their offense by chasing individual numbers. They will fix it by trusting the system, trusting each other, and letting the contracts sort themselves out later.