Dan Hurley

Pacific Notes: Hurley, Suns, Vezenkov, Kerr

June 8th, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

UConn submitted a new contract offer to try to keep Dan Hurley as its head coach, but a source close to the athletic department tells Adam Zagoria of NJ.com that the school can’t afford to get into a bidding war with the Lakers. Hurley traveled to Los Angeles on Friday to meet with team officials and is expected to consider his options throughout the weekend before reaching a decision. One of those options will be an offer from the university that would reportedly make him the third-highest-paid coach in the NCAA.

“We want to pay him certainly what he’s worth, but there’s a limit to how far we can actually go just because of the political pressures and all of that,” the source told Zagoria. “Even though everybody wants him to stay, and everybody’s behind it, I just think there’s a cap that exists.”

Zagoria points to a USA Today database that lists Bill Self with a $9.6MM annual salary at Kansas, while John Calipari will earn $8MM in the first year of his new contract at Arkansas. Hurley signed a six-year deal worth $32MM after winning his first national title last year, and he earned a $2MM bonus this season on top of his $5MM base salary.

“Obviously, they want to pay him,” Zagoria’s source added. “I just think at some point it’s not going to be Kentucky, it’s not going to be the place where you can just get some stupid number. I think there are just some realities at the school that make that tougher.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns will attempt to fill three needs this summer despite being bound by second apron restrictions, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 said on the Burns and Gambo podcast (hat tip to RealGM). After letting Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant run the offense this season, Phoenix hopes to find a point guard who can play at least 20 minutes per game, according to Gambadoro. The team is also in the market for a young wing player who can provide more athleticism, along with an upgrade on Drew Eubanks at backup center.
Conflicting information about Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov makes it hard to tell which parts of the story are legitimate, James Ham states in his latest edition of Kings Beat (subscription required). As we relayed earlier today, a Eurohoops report stated that Vezenkov has asked for a change of scenery and is considering a return to Europe. However, Ham notes that Matteo Andreani of Basketinside claims the Kings told Vezenkov that he’s not in their plans for next season and they’ll try to trade him. Either scenario could lead to a breakup this summer, and Ham states that team officials have been silent about Vezenkov’s future.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr understands the pressure on Team USA to capture an Olympic gold medal this summer, calling it a “win or fail” situation, per Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. Part of Kerr’s early preparation has been watching past losses to see what went wrong, including a 113-111 defeat against Germany in last year’s FIBA World Cup semifinals. “One of the things we look at is, why has USA Basketball lost games in the past?” Kerr said. “There are some common themes, and the big one really is defense. The games we’ve lost, we just failed to stop the other team. This Germany game is one of them — they carved us up. So we’re going to have to be really good defensively this summer.”

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Hurley, Beal, Suns, Hield, Clippers, Warriors

June 7th, 2024 at 7:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up (YouTube link) on Friday, Brian Windhorst stressed that Dan Hurley coaching the Lakers is far from a sure thing, despite UConn’s head coach being open to L.A.’s advances.

“I know that this has momentum as (Adrian Wojnarowski) talked about, but it’s been emphasized to me that this is not a done deal,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “That there is still relationship building and conversations that need to take place that are probably going to take place over the next couple of days.”

A source tells Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link) that Hurley was going into today’s meeting with the Lakers “completely open-minded” and is expected to fly back home and weigh his decision over the weekend.

Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:

Suns guard Bradley Beal underwent a follow-up procedure on his nose shortly after the team was eliminated from the playoffs this spring, reports Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Beal, who initially had a procedure performed on his nose after breaking it in January, said in March that he still had to get his septum “realigned,” adding that it would likely happen after the season.
Responding to a report that claims the Suns will be among the teams to watch for Buddy Hield this offseason, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that he doesn’t expect Phoenix to have any interest in the veteran sharpshooter. Barring significant cost-cutting moves, the Suns won’t be able to offer more than the veteran’s minimum to free agents or to acquire them via sign-and-trade, so Hield is probably an unrealistic target to begin with.
The Clippers hosted four senior guards as part of a pre-draft workout on Thursday, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Xavier Johnson (Southern Illinois), Tristen Newton (UConn), Cormac Ryan (UNC), and Tyler Thomas (Hofstra) took part in the session. None of those prospects ranks higher than No. 68 (Newton) on ESPN’s big board, but they could be in the second-round mix. The Clippers’ lone 2024 draft pick is 46th overall.
The Warriors have officially named Jon Phelps their senior director of basketball strategy and team counsel, confirming the front office addition in a press release (Twitter link). Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported last week that Golden State would be hiring Phelps away from the Pistons following his decade-long stint in Detroit.

Pacific Notes: Hurley, Lakers, Bronny, Suns, Kings

June 7th, 2024 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Maher

UConn’s Dan Hurley is meeting with the Lakers regarding their head coaching vacancy on Friday. L.A. is reportedly going to offer Hurley a “significant” contract in terms of both years and salary.

A source close to Hurley tells Jeff Goodman of The Field Of 68 (via Twitter) that it’s “50-50” whether the 51-year-old accepts the job or returns to the Huskies in pursuit of a third consecutive national championship.

According to Goodman (Twitter links), UConn has an offer extended to Hurley that would make him the third-highest paid college coach in the country, behind only Bill Self and John Calipari. However, there’s an expectation that the school’s offer will likely pale in comparison to what the Lakers will put on the table.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson was enthusiastic about the prospect of the Lakers hiring Hurley, as Chuck Schilken of The Los Angeles Times relays (subscriber link).

“I like Hurley,” Johnson said. “I want the coach to be Hurley. … He has a championship background. He’s great with offensive and defensive strategy. I think that the players will respect him. And he’s tough. The Lakers gotta have somebody who will hold them accountable, right?“

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Howard Beck of The Ringer argues that Hurley shouldn’t be viewed as a risky candidate despite never coaching at the NBA level. The Lakers‘ top target has admirers around the NBA, such as longtime assistant Ron Adams, who is currently with the Warriors. “I think he’s a marvelous coach,” Adams said of Hurley. “He comes from a tremendous basketball family. … I think his skill set is excellent for coming into the pros. … I know a lot of people will say, ‘Well, he’s a really demanding coach.’ Well yes, and that’s going to be a strength in the pros. You may have to dress it up differently, but that will be a strength of his if he’s good with people and good at bringing out the best version of a player. That’s going to work in the pros, too.”
USC guard Bronny James, who is ranked No. 53 on ESPN’s big board, had a strong showing during a workout with the Suns on Wednesday, sources tell Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Villanova guard Mark Armstrong and West Virginia guard Raequan Battle also impressed Phoenix during the group workout, according to Rankin. The Suns hold the No. 22 pick in this month’s draft.
Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports examines five big men the Suns could target with their first-round pick, including Baylor’s Yves Missi and Indiana’s Kel’el Ware.
The Kings hosted a pre-draft workout on Wednesday featuring Weber State’s Dillon Jones, Creighton’s Trey Alexander, Pitt’s Carlton Carrington and Miami’s Kyshawn George, a league source tells Brenden Nunes of Sactown Sports 1140. Sacramento controls the No. 13 and No. 45 picks in the 2024 draft. George (No. 19) and Carrington (No. 20) are projected first-round picks, according to ESPN, while Jones (No. 48) and Alexander (No. 65) are potential second-rounders.

Lakers To Meet With Dan Hurley On Friday

June 6th, 2024 at 10:46pm CST by Luke Adams

UConn coach Dan Hurley is traveling to California to meet with Lakers leadership – including team owner Jeanie Buss and head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka – on Friday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the team is “eager to close” on a deal that would make Hurley its next head coach.

After initially reporting early on Thursday morning that the Lakers have prioritized Hurley in their head coaching search, Wojnarowski says the team’s pursuit of the two-time national champion has “accelerated.” Sources tell ESPN that the two sides have already talked about what a potential deal would look like — Woj notes that it would be “significant” in terms of both years and salary.

Hurley let UConn administrators know on Wednesday and told his players on Thursday that he was exploring his options with the Lakers. While he hasn’t made any decisions yet, there’s “momentum” in his talks with the Lakers, sources tell Wojnarowski.

Woj stated during a TV appearance on Thursday (Twitter video link) that he expects resolution on the Hurley front within the next few days – perhaps by the end of the weekend or early next week – since the coach won’t want to leave the Huskies hanging for too long.

We have more on Hurley and Lakers after passing along several Hurley-related notes this afternoon:

The Lakers’ interest in Hurley wasn’t just kept secret from the public until Thursday morning — many people within the organization weren’t even aware of that interest, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Hurley’s name began coming up in internal conversations about head coaching candidates last week, but he seemed like a long shot at that time, Buha adds.
Buha describes Hurley as a legitimate candidate for the Lakers’ job and perhaps the favorite over J.J. Redick, who was considered the frontrunner as recently as Wednesday. However, sources tell The Athletic that the search is “far from settled” and that Redick is still a very viable candidate.
Longtime Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has advised the Lakers during their coaching search, and his connection to Redick (a former Blue Devil) was believed to be a major consideration for Los Angeles. However, as Buha observes, Krzyzewski also coached Hurley’s brother Bobby and has a strong relationship with the UConn head coach. Krzyzewski’s belief in Hurley is one of the factors that has convinced the Lakers to aggressively pursue him, Buha writes.
Wojnarowski said during a TV appearance on Thursday that he believes the Lakers would be “far more likely” to draft LeBron James‘ son Bronny James if they end up hiring Hurley. “When you talk about LeBron James and the impact this has for him, I think this is the first significant action the Lakers have taken to show you they are actually very serious about drafting Bronny James at 55,” Wojnarowski said (YouTube link). “Because they do see Dan Hurley as the perfect coach to guide his development.”
Veteran columnist Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times, who previously argued against the idea of the Lakers hiring Redick as their head coach, strongly endorsed Hurley for the job, referring to it as a “no-brainer.”

Latest On Dan Hurley, Lakers

June 6th, 2024 at 2:35pm CST by Rory Maher

UConn head coach Dan Hurley confirmed to his players on Thursday morning that he’s been in discussions about becoming the new head coach of the Lakers, a source tells John Fanta of Fox Sports (Twitter link).

According to Fanta, Hurley “didn’t want to hide” the news from the team, since it’s legitimate, but cautioned that nothing has been finalized. Dana O’Neil of The Athletic confirms Fanta’s report (via Twitter), adding that UConn has yet to restructure Hurley’s contract after becoming a back-to-back champion in 2024. Hurley received a six-year, $32MM extension after the Huskies won the title in 2023.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this morning that L.A. is preparing a “massive, long-term” offer to Hurley — a surprising development after multiple outlets had pegged former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst J.J. Redick as the frontrunner for the job.

Hurley has discussed his desire to transition to the NBA multiple times, per Wojnarowski, and did so again on Wednesday during an appearance on the Mike Francesa podcast (YouTube link).

“I do aspire one day, if the right NBA situation were to come along, to really testing myself…where an organization wants a tone-setter to come in and instill a culture with young players and an organization that wants to pursue championships,” Hurley said (Twitter link via Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer).

Here’s more on Hurley and the Lakers’ coaching search:

According to Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico, Hurley’s contract with UConn stipulates that he would have to give back $1.875MM if he were hired by NBA team (Twitter link). That figure rises to $7.5MM if he were to leave for a rival NCAA team during the same time period (April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025).
ESPN’s Pete Thamel explores whether Hurley could be successful if he is ultimately offered and accepts the job to become the Lakers’ new head coach, while five ESPN insiders — including Thamel — examine how Hurley could impact L.A., LeBron James and his son Bronny James. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst refers to Hurley as a “high-risk, high-reward” candidate who is undeniably talented but lacks experience at the NBA level. It’s worth noting that LeBron has publicly lauded Hurley’s basketball acumen — ironically while he was being interviewed by Redick.
A source tells ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that LeBron James hasn’t talked to the Lakers about Hurley, Redick or any other candidate (Twitter links). According to McMenamin, James has stressed that the Lakers need to make a long-term decision on a coach who could be with the organization beyond the next couple seasons — the 39-year-old impending free agent is only expected to play for one or two more years.
Shams Charania of The Athletic — one of the reporters who repeatedly pegged Redick as the favorite — says L.A. is still trying to convince Hurley to take the job, and a decision isn’t imminent. “The Lakers have started working to convince Dan Hurley, the UConn coach, the back-to-back champion, to take their head coaching job,” Charania said on Run It Back (YouTube link), per RealGM. “I’m told it’s likely that Hurley will make a decision over the next week or so — likely goes into next week on a decision.”
Appearing on the GoJo and Golic show (Twitter video link), Redick declined to comment on all of the reports linking him to the Lakers. However, he did seem to take umbrage with Charania. “My focus is on the NBA Finals. In terms of Shams, that will be addressed once the season is over. I’ll just say that,” Redick said, before later adding: “I don’t mean any job, I mean Shams. After the season.”

Lakers Targeting Dan Hurley In Head Coaching Search

June 6th, 2024 at 6:20am CST by Luke Adams

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.