Dan Hurley is set to meet with the Los Angeles Lakers this weekend to discuss their head coaching job, but there is still work to be done on building a relationship between the two sides.
“I just think it’s important for the Lakers to try to close this weekend,” said Brian Windhorst on Get Up, referring to the meeting reported by Adrian Wojnarowski. “I know that this has momentum, as Woj talked about, but it’s been emphasized to me that this is not a done deal. There is still relationship building and conversations that need to take place over the next couple of days.”
Although Hurley signed an extension with UConn in June of 2023, he has not signed one following a second consecutive championship. UConn recently extended Geno Auriemma as head coach of the women’s team. UConn might offer Hurley a more lucrative deal to persuade him to stay as head coach and not depart for the Lakers.
“You know UConn had a chance now to sort of move back,” Windhorst added. “You know, one of the things that didn’t happen in the wake of that second championship, UConn was not able to get a contract extension done with Dan Hurley in these two months that have passed since they won that title. And I’ll point out this week they did get one done with Geno Auriemma, their legendary women’s basketball coach, that’s in place. So now UConn is scrambling trying to improve their offer to give him another option as he weighs what is a certainly a lucrative offer from the Lakers.”
Windhorst also referenced comments from Hurley regarding his extension talks with UConn and highlighted that the school has a time frame within which to retain him.
