Sources: The Lakers will begin reaching out to potential head coaches.

Chicago The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to start contacting possible head coaches in the next few days, primarily sitting assistants and previous head coaches that they are less familiar with, according to sources who spoke with ESPN on Monday.

The Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, Rob Pelinka, has been investigating a number of possible head coach candidates, including ESPN analyst JJ Redick.

However, according to sources, the organization’s first wave of requests for permission to interview will come from individuals it hasn’t met in its thorough search or from people it knows less about than other prospects.

Sources claim that when Pelinka discusses a crucial aspect of the Lakers coach with general managers across the league, the word “grinder” keeps coming up.

Sources say that among many others, assistant prospects like Chris Quinn of Miami and James Borrego of New Orleans are expected to be on that first interview list.

According to sources, the search is expected to proceed in stages, beginning with this initial group of applicants, then moving on to interview with coaches the Lakers have a longer history with, and ultimately reducing the field to a final round of contenders.

Darvin Ham was released by the Lakers earlier this month after two seasons. Ham finished 90-74 overall, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in his first season and a five-game series loss to the Denver Nuggets in this season’s opening round.