University of Connecticut men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley reportedly is expected to decide whether or not he’ll take the head-coaching job with the Los Angeles Lakers in the near future.
A decision from Dan Hurley on whether he’s taking the Lakers job or staying at UConn is expected to occur within the next 24 hours.
Hurley met with Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka in Los Angeles this weekend.
If Hurley accepts, he would become one of the NBA’s highest paid coaches. pic.twitter.com/XyPoM6GPXF
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 9, 2024
Hurley met with the Lakers this weekend after it was reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that he’s been at the forefront of Los Angeles’ head-coaching search.
The Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham following their first-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs this season.
Hurley, who has won back-to-back national titles at UConn, is highly regarded as one of the best coaches in all of college basketball.
He’s led UConn to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and he’s earned six total berths to the tournament in his collegiate coaching career (two came at the University of Rhode Island before he took the UConn job prior to the 2018-19 season).
If Hurley declines the Lakers’ offer and decides to remain at UConn, it was reported recently that former NBA sharpshooter J.J. Redick is still a “viable candidate” for the Lakers’ opening.
Even though Hurley has not held a head-coaching position at the NBA level, he has been lauded as a tactical genius when it comes to his coaching style.
My initial reaction
Dan Hurley is a tactical genius, the best college basketball coach in America.
There’s one massive question I do have regarding Dan Hurley, that’s how will it translate to the NBA?
You go from having supreme control over roster builds and the day-day…
— Sean Davis (@Sean_Davi) June 6, 2024
Hurley would be a killer hire for the Lakers Xs and Os wise. Would be FASCINATED to see him deal with professionals and officials at the NBA level, and how he'd deal with the 82-game grind. But he'd be creative and have his guys prepped/ready to play every night.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) June 6, 2024
Still, it’s possible he decides to remain at UConn to continue building a program that he has restored to national prominence during his time there.
The Lakers are hoping to land a head coach that can help them get back to the NBA Finals after failing to get there in each season since their title run in the 2019-20 campaign under Frank Vogel.
Los Angeles did make the Western Conference Finals in Ham’s first season as the head coach (the 2022-23 season), but it did not take a step forward this season. Los Angeles ended up needing to go through the play-in tournament for a second straight year to make the playoffs in the Western Conference, then the team lost in the first round.
It’s possible Hurley could bring a fresh perspective to the Lakers to help get the most out of the final stretch of LeBron James’ NBA career. James, who has a player option for the 2024-25 season, could opt out of his deal and become a free agent this summer, but the Lakers have been operating as if he will return one way or another.
The Lakers have also formally met with a handful of other candidates for their coaching vacancy.
The Lakers have formally met with J.J. Redick, James Borrego and Sam Cassell, per @ShamsCharania and @jovanbuha
The search is starting to heat up 👀 pic.twitter.com/iby7iWXiwY
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) May 21, 2024
If Hurley declines the position, it’s possible Los Angeles will pivot to one of those candidates.
