The Lakers are targeting UConn’s Dan Hurley to become their next head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the team is preparing a “massive, long-term” offer for the back-to-back national champion.
Sources tell ESPN that Hurley has been at the “forefront” of the Lakers’ search process, though the club has only had preliminary discussions with him so far and has done its due diligence on other candidates. The plan is for Los Angeles to escalate its discussions with Hurley in the coming days, Wojnarowski adds.
After playing his college ball at Seton Hall from 1991-96, Hurley immediately transitioned into coaching, spending a year as a high school assistant coach before being hired to Rutgers’ staff as an assistant.
Hurley became the head coach at St. Benedict’s Prep (a New Jersey high school) from 2001-10, then broke into the college ranks at a head coach with coached Wagner from 2010-12. Following a stint as Rhode Island’s head coach from 2012-18, he arrived at Connecticut in 2018. He has since led the Huskies to a 141-58 (.709) record, with national championships in both 2023 and 2024.
As Wojnarowski details, Hurley has talked in the past about wanting to one day coach in the NBA and has let the Lakers know he’s interested in exploring what a partnership would look like. For their part, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka are enthusiastic about the idea of bringing his “tactical acumen and elite player development” to the Lakers, Woj adds, while star forward LeBron James has expressed admiration for Hurley’s creative offensive system.
It’s a surprising development, as the Lakers were long believed to be eyeing ESPN and ABC analyst J.J. Redick for their head coaching vacancy. Several reports from many different outlets in recent weeks have identified Redick as the frontrunner for the position, with Shams Charania of The Athletic stating on Tuesday that L.A. was “zeroing in” on the former NBA sharpshooter.
Wojnarowski described Redick several weeks ago as a “name to watch” in the Lakers’ search, noting that the team was “drilling down” on him in its initial research. However, he has never described Redick as the favorite.
There was a belief that the recent silence from Wojnarowski on the Lakers’ search was perhaps due to the fact that Redick was an ESPN colleague, but it appears now that Woj just had different information — he stresses in today’s report that the “potential of landing Hurley has been the focus of the Lakers’ search,” even as they interviewed candidates like Redick, James Borrego, and Sam Cassell, among others.
According to Wojnarowski, part of Hurley’s appeal is the fact that the Lakers anticipate player development becoming a greater priority for the franchise under the current CBA, due to the roster-building limitations facing teams above the tax aprons. They believed that their younger players, including Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Max Christie, can continue to get better under a coach like Hurley.
The Lakers have been searching for a new head coach since formally dismissing Darvin Ham on May 3. Ham had a 90-74 (.549) record during his two seasons in Los Angeles, winning a pair of playoff series in his first year last spring.
I’d laugh if he makes more than Mike Brown
oh yeah? would you laugh?
Get ready to laugh
Why? What would be so funny about that exactly?
The fact he’s never coached in the NBA
$160 million for 8.
You’re on the right track because it’s going to take big money to lure Dan Hurley away from college, but it won’t be 20 million dollars a year for 8 years.
I’m thinking 13 or 14 million dollars for five years. Remember he’s unproven in the NBA and sometimes the transition doesn’t go well from college to the pros. But he’ll probably be great and one of the exceptions.
I think you’re in the ballpark. He may want some say in operational decisions, draft, etc. His reputation would be in the line and having others dictate the roster to you is concerning, unless the relationship with the GM is solid.
C’mon Lebron, pick a coach already.
Hurley and LeBron will not be able to co-exist.
Hope not. Past time for LeDork to go mess with another franchise, that said, Jeannie let it happen.
You could be right. Let LeBron walk and the Lakers start from scratch-ish. Perhaps trade Anthony Davis too if they hire Hurley? Get something for him while he’s still an exceptional player?
I can’t see Hurley dealing with either LeBron or AD. Those are two whopping egos right there. Dan would be an excellent choice for probably 20 NBA teams, but the Lakers aren’t one of them.
Sam Cassell should be the pick
Why?
Hurley > JJ/Borrego
“Targeting” or hiring?? This better not be some publicity stunt…. Lakers are notoriously cheap….
At the same time, Hurley probably has been negotiating for contract restructuring/extension with UConn as well, and could be using the Lakers. Hurley is too egotistical for my taste. He always wants to get all the attention instead of his players.
…. which makes the Lakers the perfect spot for him.
$14/6yrs
Lakers too cheap! They just dont have the money that other owners have.
today’s flavor of the day to give sport writers something to talk about. Yesterday it was JJ Now its Dan.
Please don’t go Dan.
LAL is a bottom team, Bron has 1-2 more years. Inheriting no young talent and AD isn’t that guy you rally around.
If he comes you know LeBron walks and AD is traded.
“Wait, WHAT??!!??”
– J.J. Redick
Wow, that came really out of nowhere.
I don’t know if this happens. I mean look at the picture, he wants 10 years !!
How ’bout Bronnie?
There’s always a $$ number that will make something work for the payee, even if it really doesn’t work all around. But, aside from that, Danny shouldn’t do this, and I expect he won’t.
The NBA is no longer any place for a real basketball coach. The ones that remain in the league are holdovers from a bygone era. Major college programs are changing with the portal and NIL, but the head job is still principally a coaching job. Danny can stay at UConn forever and get a raise/extension every time a major program has an opening and his name is even mentioned. With the LAL, he could be fired after a year, and it wouldn’t necessarily have anything to do with his coaching.
I think he comes because of the opportunity to build the franchise back up. But if LeBron and AD stay, he’s not going to take the job.
But these guys have egos. Yes the money will be nice and he’ll get 5 years, but to take a franchise like the Los Angeles Lakers and take them from where they are today, which is LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the play-in, to perhaps a dip next year and back to prominence in two or three years, will really be compelling.
The ego is a powerful thing. A couple of college championships then an opportunity to bring the storied Los Angeles Lakers from the ground up to championship material? I think that’s a huge draw.
I dont think he will but I suppose all college coaches are getting fed up with NIL era, and $80-100m is just too much to refuse, and of course Hollywood big time showtime. He probably wants to coach the Olympics Team too.
It’s a great opportunity if he in fact has it, and he’s given the power to successfully take advantage of it. For that to happen, he would have to get a very long term deal (10 years, all guaranteed, such that it would preclude a quick firing like we might see with Monty). He would also need to be above Pelinka in the hierarchy (below only Jeanie), particularly regarding personnel moves. Hard to see that.
Hurley should just stay at UConn
Reddick to UCONN to start his coaching experience…. Bet he could keep most of that UCONN team together and then bolt after 2-3 years to pros.