Dan Hurley has passed on a six-year, $70MM contract offer to become the Lakers‘ head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two-time national champion will remain at UConn and will look to lead the Huskies to a third consecutive title in 2024.
According to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link), Hurley – who met with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka on Friday – “strongly considered” making the leap to the NBA but ultimately decided it wasn’t the right career move for him.
While he was impressed with the Lakers’ “vision for him,” Woj adds (via Twitter), Hurley didn’t want to walk away from the opportunity to make history by winning a third straight NCAA title.
Hurley is expected to finalize a new deal with UConn soon that will make him one of college basketball’s highest-paid coaches. Wojnarowski says those negotiations are ongoing, while Goodman hears from a source that Hurley has a six-year offer worth about $50MM on the table from the Huskies (Twitter link).
It’s a disappointing setback for the Lakers, who had talked to other head coaching candidates since dismissing Darvin Ham last month but had zeroed in on Hurley and made him their top choice. According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Lakers will regroup this week and will continue interviewing other candidates for the job in the hopes of filling the vacancy before the June 26-27 draft.
James Borrego – the only candidate to have two in-person meetings with the Lakers so far, per reporting from Woj – will remain in the mix, as will J.J. Redick, whom Shams Charania and other reporters previously described as the frontrunner for the position. Wojnarowski suggests that Redick has yet to have a formal interview with L.A., though Charania said last month that the two sides spoke at length at the draft combine.
As our head coaching search tracker shows, the Lakers have also been linked to a number of veteran assistant coaches around the NBA, including Sam Cassell, David Adelman, Micah Nori, and Chris Quinn.
Nicely played by his agent/team.
Hurley just wanted to get massive raise from UConn. Lakers had no intention to hire him. They also used him for publicity. Now, they will hire someone for less than half, lol.
No real coach wants to be assistant coach to lebron. Until he’s gone it’s gonna be a constant power struggle between front office + coaching staff vs lebron.
Unpopular opinion. Jettison lebron and ad shoot for 2026 free agent class
Young, Doncic, Bam, Tatum, SGA, Mitchell, Brunson
Right now it’s a pretty loaded group. Someone might choose to ditch their current team and pursue the opportunities lakers give players historically from Johnson to Kobe to lebron.
My god get a life
For real. It’s amazing how much people think about LeBron, and then blame him for their obsession. It’s insane.
You know that an aging super star would hasn’t actually signed his extension and wants to play with his son wasn’t the major deciding factor for a yes or no answer. LeBron has seen what 12 different coaches? He’s been called a coach killer. Maybe you don’t like the LeBron name drop because for once we have a Lakers article without it. But the actual Hurley decision….
Some to most might reup next 2 years but outside big names there’s a lot of very good secondary guys in the 2026 free agent class. Could be one of the better ones we see in recent memory.
I see you edited your comment from more than just the first sentence like it was originally posted. Trying to spin it to where you try talking about a free agent class in two years is a strange attempt to save face.
Whatever helps you sleep at night man.
Windows closed. Lebron couldn’t bring home the ship to LA. He’s not getting any younger and all his moves pretty much back fired immensely on LA. Lebron the gm has put LeBron the player and lakers in a pretty bad mess.
It’s better to blow it up sooner than later and get nothing to show for it if you wait too long.
Lakers should be shooting for the future. They’re not winning a title next 2 years. They’d be stupid to rely on LeBron at 40.
But they’ll draft Bronny Jr and hope LeBron comes back or something stupid.
Helps me sleep at night? Because you (again with this one) edited your comment? That makes less sense than spending your life crying about how big bad Lebron has hurt your poor feelings so much.
I never said anything about the lakers future or window so you are just talking circles arguing with yourself. All I said was you needed to get a life because it must be sad to hold so much hate in your heart out of jealousy of another man you have never met.
I’m not crying about Lebron at all lmao. I’m actually laughing quite honestly
Lebron has screwed the lakers over so much while he’s there. Years wasted listening to him advocate for guys like AD and Westbrook and Russell and it’s done nothing but screw the lakers over financially and forced them into getting rid of guys who probably would have helped them win one by now. Plus got rid of all their draft picks.
Lakers fans just refuse to realize that and for some reason show undying loyalty to a guy who’s done nothing but turn the franchise into a joke with no hope of a title, no financial room to improve, and no draft picks to get younger. Just an absolute mess no respecting head coach would want to be part of.
Lakers want to return to glory ditch Lebron ditch ad and hopefully get some pieces in 24 and 25 prior to 26 free agent class.
“I’m not crying about Lebron”
Next sentence begins crying about Lebron. Haha too foolish to even see it. Lebron won a title for the Lakers no matter how much you want to cry about it. The only joke is you thinking you don’t come across as foolish.
Screwed the Lakers? Helping them get a ring in 2020..Where all other teams who spent so much trying to get one? Suns, knicks, etc… dont know about your take but its not screwing to me….
lol only two of those will end up being unrestricted
You think Tatum is giving up the Super Max to play in Los Angeles?
Stop. Please. Stop.
Nope. Which is why I said
“ Some to most might reup next 2 years but outside big names there’s a lot of very good secondary guys in the 2026 free agent class. Could be one of the better ones we see in recent memory.”
Reading is fundamental children.
Agree with what you wrote.
Almost all NBA “superstars” pull this crap off. They tell the owner(s) who the GM should be, who the coach should be, and what players should be their teammates.
A joke as a professional sports league; but they preen well when they do something good, while overgrown teenager’s pay triple the price to buy merchandise that’s inferior to what the competition sells.
The NBA is surely a subsidiary of Nike.
Yup it’s not just lebron. He’s probably the most famous for doing it but harden has acted this way most his career. KD between bringing harden and kyrie in and bringing Beal in to phoenix.
Cannot blame the man for saying no; hopefully, he was able to leverage for better perks at UCONN. Lakers = bad/embarrassing ownership/management. Throwing money cannot fix this loathsome group. Let the Reddick circus began, albeit with LeDork’s approval.
Monty Williams $80 million
Hurley $70 million
How?
Williams just got 28 games losing record
Sillivan should be the next coach of the Lakers!
Why not? He couldn’t possibly be any worse than he is at commenting on the nba…
You are a very smart man, Dan Hurley. Glad you made the right decision to stay at UConn
Not surprised by anything other than the $12M per offer. I had figured it would be around $15M per for 5-7 years if they were going to be able to pry him away from UConn. The Lakers job isn’t currently an attractive one – at least not for someone on Hurley’s caliber.
Get ready for JJR.
How badly did the Lakers really want hurley with that offer. Agree with you pads. LeBron needs to take bronny exit stage left. Let the rebuild begin.
If everyone could just take a chill pill and realize that all of you sound utterly ridiculous, that would be grand. I’m a LeBron stan too (Cleveland fan, kind of a given), but really? Why should you care what the trolls think? They have their heads so far up MJ’s shorts they can taste intestines. That or Paul Pierce’s, since he’s the #1 LeBron Hater because he could never be as good as him. Chill.
As for the trolls, keep hiding under your bridges, lmao. Trying to discredit the bubble means Tim Duncan and David Robinson’s ’99 championship doesn’t count either, nor does any other shortened season. It’s all stupid. The players have, almost universally, expressed the opposite opinion. Pretty sure they’ve forgotten more about ball than you’ve ever known.
Ever heard of Phil Jackson? He said the ’99 chip should figure in the books with an asterisk…
Well it wouldn’t be the first time Phil Jackson was full of it and himself.
Phil also believes the earth is flat and we landed in death valley not on the moon. Phil is considered a bit wacky.
There’s a wide range of LeBron takes from a wide range of people
The One thing (maybe only) that is consistent in these takes is that educated Cle Mia Laker fans all share about the same sentiments on LeBron and their time shared : a pleasure to watch, grateful to be able to watch 82 times a season +, genius on the court to no ends
Somehow the other 27 fanbases are the ones saying our expierence was ruined and tattered ….I’ll never understand that, ever
Good post Eon, this thread needed one
He commented “why do you cares what the trolls think” Then wrote three paragraphs responding to the trolls.
That’s good?
I’m a Celtics fan and I don’t think anyone’s experience was “ruined and tattered” by having LeBron on their team.
Kudos, but looking around you are in the slim minority.
As Eon is a Cle fan I’m sure he knows a little what I’m talking about, x2 actually
Only team LeBron ruined were the Derozan era Raptors. I say this as a Raptors fan for the record.
Not enough money to get it done, had to come in around 15/yr close to 100M to get him to leave.
100% agree
Yes you’re right but I don’t think the Lakers should have gone any higher considering the “unproven in the pros” thing. Yes he’s awesome yes he’s a great coach but sometimes that type, and the intensity, doesn’t translate.
Yeah I thought it was a pretty good match on paper but still I feel it’s understandable why the Lakers didn’t want to go much higher and it’s understandable why Hurley decided to pass.
I thought an 8 year offer would do it. 6 for 90 or 7 for 100 might have clinched it. They can probably get Redick for 35 mill.
Yes you are correct and not kidding.
I thought he was taking the Lakers job because I thought the offer would have been higher. I honestly expected 6yrs for 90m, and I still think that would have done it. It’s incredibly tough to pry a guy away from a good situation, where they’re comfortable though. When you consider the higher tax rate in Cali, I’m not surprised an extra twenty million over the life of the deal didn’t get it done.
Might be for the best for both sides in the long run, who knows.
In addition to the taxes that extra year on the Lakers offer wouldn’t be a boon to him either. He can renegotiate with UConn in 4 years when the average pay for top NCAA coaches is higher and help offset the $20 million total difference.
What an idiot and egotistical pain in the butt. Hopefully UConn fails hard and we never hear about him again. What a tool.
You mean other than the repeat championships that will be discussed for eternity, right?
UConn is winning again this season and they could double up with the women again for the 3rd time.
Discuss for etertenity? Lol…hurley gained popularity instantly while he’s being linked to the Lakers…
Ok lets try it this way…
name all the repeat NCAA champions…
Name the teams that have had Mens and Womens champs the same year…oh yeah that is just UConn.
IF he wins 3 in a row, there is not much company…
Eternity is how long people discuss college basketball. UConn will be discussed as will Florida, UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, Cincy, Texas A&M for a long, long time. Nobody cares who coached the Lakers to a first round exit.
Hurley will get the Knicks job whenever Tibs is done, which will be soon.
He can get his cake and eat it too.
Lakers are a joke, they sold their soul for Lebron and now they cannot get anyone to play 3rd to Lebron and Clutch.
Someone call the whambulance. Have fun with JJ Redick as your coach lmao
Smart. That’s not an attractive job.
what happens when the next coach is actually worse then ham ?
We all say told you so. Issue isn’t coaching it’s the Lebron effect.
Have a window of contention
Finances get messed up
Long term future gets messed up
Lebron leaves for better opportunities.
Is that even possible?
Don’t think so!!!
This memory of LeBron is one I’ll never forget. Quitting, while playing, vs the Celtics in 2010 playoffs. Down 9 with just under 3 minutes left. Just standing on the side of court. He quit. He didn’t like playing for Mike Brown. Cavs owner fired Brown to motivated James to come back. Nope, instead he grandstanded on ESPN with Jim Gray and chose Miami on national TV. His +/- for those last 3 losing games was -12. Does Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Curry, etc etc pull those stunts? Again, throw your coach under the bus DURING that coach’s last games. To the commenter that said another commenter’s “head was so far up MJs butt”? Pull YOUR head out.
Crazy that almost a decade and a half later people are STILL crying about someone raising 2 million dollars for the boys and girls club.
Shhhhh. We all should have LONG FORGOTTEN stuff like that, sarunas. That kinda talk goes against the “narrative”. Brainwashed…(cough)…I mean…INSPIRED Brawny Sensation followers (idolizers AND despisers) are supposed to believe that when the crap hits the fan you should ALWAYS look to place the blame on the head coach, first and foremost, and the more coaches a player has in his career the better/smarter/more well rounded we should view such a player. Brawny just wants to spread the love, sarunas…..let EVERYONE see what it’s like to coach him!…..for one season….for a PORTION of a season…..for one practice?? In the grand scheme of things, the duration doesn’t really matter. See?
It’s pretty much par for the course for the megastars to have huge egos – it’s also part of what makes them so good. Jordan punched teammates, Kobe demanded “me or Shaq”, and Magic never saw an interview or camera he didn’t like. And it’s not like Mike Brown wasn’t getting consistently outcoached back in that day either.
Lower than Monty Williams so I get passing. He’ll be using this to help negotiate w UConn. I think he’s happy to use that in passing the LA job and his narrative
JJ Redick come’on down!
I don’t blame him. No coach with even a passing knowledge of the NBA would want anything to do with LeBron
What a foolish take.
Smart move Coach Hurley!!
Exactly….what is Hurley going to do with the weak contract….should have been 120 million.
Hurley’s decision had nothing to do with LeBron. The LAL timeline to begin a rebuild might have been a factor, but that’s about more than one player.
Bottom line, though, Hurley was never accepting this job, absent something off the charts. From the beginning, the publicized timeline told everyone that. Of course he listened. Why not go through the process, one he may want to go through more seriously at some point. At a minimum, it lifts his brand, and, in that regard, might help him finalize his latest extension which was held up over an NIL issue, not salary. 5 days of a news story him being pursued for one of the most high profile jobs in the sport is valuable thing (but, of course, only if you’re NOT taking the job). When and if he takes an NBA job, the timeline will be supersonic, without the media having any details, until he formally accepts.
Yes I think Mike Krzyzewski did the same thing did he not? Many good college coaches do this. It’s a wise move for about a thousand different reasons.
Yep. Coach K used it (complete with Kobe’s testimonials) as part of his (unofficial) resume to become the coach of the first US national team formed by USA Basketball. It was a team of all NBA players, but he got it over Popovich.
No Thanks GMBron ….. I didn’t recruit Bronny. And I won’t draft him. Get another coach !!!!!!!!
And your knicks wont win a ring in maybe a decade, lol
Dont be so quick bc Hurley to the Knicks is possible. It gets his wife closer to NJ and allows him to try and win #3.
He might even be the guy for the next step after Tibs burns everyone out.
They didn’t offer him enough cash….LBJ is the GOAT….just so we know.
Lmfao
Enough of this Hurley, Lebron shenanigans.
Give me Woj Vs Shams.
Now.
DH. Darvin Ham. Dan Hurley. Smart move, Dan….not immediately after another DH was scapegoated.
This whole story and the palace intrigue around the Lakers’ head coach search is strange…and not really in any interesting way.
I had a feeling from the moment I heard Hurley’s name that the Lakers gig was just a bargaining ploy with UConn. I mean, the AD had just renegotiated his deal, and the possibility of losing Hurley to the NBA was going to push the Huskies to put an offer on the table that would get him to stay.
If the numbers are to be believed, he’s leaving $20M on the table to stay in Storrs. While I’m sure for him that money wasn’t as important as situation, the optics around the Lakers gig are really ugly right now.
I’m almost certain Hurley wants to coach in the NBA, just not for the Lakers. I don’t exactly blame him.
He basically turned down free money. They would have fired him after 2 years anyways
I am sure coaching LeBron was part of the reason Hurley did not take the job. I am sure seeing how happy Geno is at Uconn factored In to it, Great things happen at Ucoon.Hurley will get an NBA job if he wants it.
That grease fire in the Lakers. I still don’t understand why Ham was made responsible for a s**t show of a front office.