After weeks of speculation that the Lakers were going to hire JJ Redick, the bombshell dropped on Wednesday that the team are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer to UConn coach Dan Hurley.
ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowksi first reported the news and provided further detail.
“The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the sides are planning to escalate discussions in the coming days, sources told ESPN,” Woj said. “Hurley has been at the forefront of the Lakers’ search from the beginning of the process, even while the organization has done its due diligence interviewing several other candidates, sources said.”
Hurley is fresh from bringing the Huskies their second straight national championship.
He has reportedly already met with his UConn players to discuss the news, John Fanta of Fox Sports reports.
“Dan Hurley met with his players at UConn this morning and informed them he’s been in talks with the Lakers, a source tells Fox Sports,” Fanta said on X. “Hurley didn’t want to hide the fact that this is real. Huskies have a noon practice and Hurley told his players it’s business as usual for now.”
Fanta then reported that “Hurley is ‘truly at a 50-50’ in weighing his decision whether to make the leap up for LeBron James and the Lakers or stay in the college game and try to achieve something unthinkable in the modern era.”
The CBB ON FOX Broadcaster and Reporter also shared that Hurley will meet with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Vice President / General Manager Rob Pelinka Friday and that his plan is to “have his mind made up on the decision weighing on him in the near future”.
Larry Brown remains the only head coach to win a national championship and the NBA Finals, with Kansas in 1988 and Detroit in 2004.
Current NBA coaches that have made the transition from college to NBA include Bulls coach Billy Donovan and Hawks coach Quin Snyder.
