Dan Hurley Turns Down the Lakers
(El Segundo, CA) Back-to-back National Champion Head Coach Dan Hurley declines a multi-million dollar offer to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The offer was a six-year deal worth up to $70 million dollars that would have made Hurley one of the NBA’s sixth highest-paid coaches. Hurley will now head back to the University of Connecticut to chase a third straight national championship with the Huskies.
It was reported that Hurley met with the Lakers’ owner and president, Jeanie Buss, and the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, Rob Pelinka, over the weekend to discuss the team’s vision with Hurley at the helm for the Lakers. According to ESPN, Hurley returned to the East Coast “impressed” and with a “compelling case” on his hands before announcing his decision today to stay at the University of Connecticut.
Hurley was the reported front-runner for the Lakers, looking for a coach to build a culture with a new brand of Lakers Basketball. Hurley’s college resume shows how successful he has been as a basketball coach, with a 292-163 coaching record to go along with multiple coaching honors, and the crown jewel of back-to-back national championships with the University of Connecticut. Hurley had been at the top of the purple and gold’s list since the dismissal of former head coach Darvin Hamm after being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets.
Now, the Lakers regroup in search of their next head coach with 17 days until the NBA draft. ESPN will continue to bring in candidates, with the two front runners, with Hurley now out, being New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego and ESPN broadcaster JJ Redick. Redick has been the front runner according to NBA insider Shams Charania, who reported nearly a week ago that Redick was at the top of the coaching list the Lakers were looking at prior to the report of Hurley being in the conversation. Nonetheless, Redick already has a good relationship with Lakers star LeBron James, as the two are co-hosts of their own podcast called “Mind the Game.” James’ own future is still up in the air with the organization as well. The Lakers are hoping Redick can have a Pat Riley-like transformation, according to reports. Riley was considered one of the forefronts of the Lakers dynasty in the late '70s and '80s.
The Lakers’ head coaching job has been a coaching carousel since Phil Jackson left in 2011. The Lakers continue the hunt for their next head coach with the draft timer ticking down. It’s clear Hurley won’t be at the helm for the purple and gold, but there’s still plenty of talent among the young and experienced coaching pool in the NBA. The Lakers need someone to come in and build a culture, combined with showing results. It’s worth keeping an eye on throughout the NBA Finals as the Purple and Gold continue their search for a head coach.