Lakers have interest in Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn. Also, a Donovan Mitchell update

The Los Angeles Lakers have interest in the longest tenured assistant coach on the Miami Heat’s coaching staff.

The Heat has granted the Lakers permission to interview longtime Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn for the franchise’s head coaching job, a league source confirmed Wednesday to the Miami Herald. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news.

The Heat has regularly granted such permission through the years, doing so for Juwan Howard on his way to becoming the University of Michigan’s head coach in 2019 and for Dan Craig to become a Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach in 2020.

In addition, Quinn has interviewed for other head coaching jobs in the past. During the 2022 offseason, the Heat granted the Utah Jazz permission to interview Quinn for its head coaching job that ended up going to Will Hardy.

The Lakers are searching for a new head coach after parting ways with Darvin Ham following two seasons.

According to ESPN, the Lakers also secured permission to interview New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego, Denver Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman, Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori. Current ESPN analyst JJ Redick is also reportedly a candidate for the Lakers’ head coaching job.

Quinn, 40, just completed his 10th season as a Heat assistant coach. Along with being the longest tenured assistant on Erik Spoelstra’s coaching staff, Quinn has played a major role in the Heat’s highly regarded player development program.

Quinn also played for the Heat, as the six-year NBA guard was signed by Miami as a free agent in the 2006 offseason. He appeared in 168 games (26 starts) with the Heat over three-plus seasons from 2006-10 and played for both Pat Riley and Spoelstra.

HEAT CAP UPDATE

The NBA reportedly is on the verge of finalizing major television contracts that will significantly increase the league’s revenue beginning in the 2025-26 season. But it won’t result in an enormous one-year cap boost for the Heat and other teams.

Under the terms of the new labor agreement, the salary cap can’t increase by more than 10 percent in any given year regardless of how much new revenue the league makes. If there is an excess, it will be tacked onto future seasons.

The salary cap for next season is projected to be $141 million. Miami’s current payroll commitments would be $181 million if Kevin Love, Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant exercise their opt-ins and Caleb Martin opts out. The projected luxury tax line is $172 million.

With a potential 10 percent increase, the salary cap could rise to $155 million in 2025-26 and $170 million in 2026-27.

But as its roster is currently constituted, the Heat would not have much cap space — certainly not enough to sign a star — for the 2025-26 season, unless Jimmy Butler opts out of $52.4 million that season or is traded in the next 10 months.

The Heat potentially would have more than $65 million in cap space for 2026-27 if Butler does not receive an extension covering that season (an extension he will request) and if Bam Adebayo signs an extension that would pay him at least $51.2 million that season.

MITCHELL UPDATE

ESPN reported that the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are among the teams that have already prepared trade offers for Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell if he requests a trade from the Cavaliers or makes clear to them that he will opt out of his contract in 13 1/2 months or decline to sign an extension in the coming months.

The Heat expressed interest in Mitchell before the Jazz traded him to the Cavaliers two years ago, and it would not at all be surprising if Miami has interest again.

The Nets have one advantage: They own six first-round picks from other teams and those are available in a trade.

The Heat, by contrast, is only in a position to trade one future first-round pick.

The Heat also can draft a player on behalf of another team in the first round on June 26, but that would require a trade being arranged by draft night. Miami holds the 15th and 43rd overall picks in next month’s draft.