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NBA Insider Reveals Dan Hurley Rejected LA Lakers Coaching Role to Stay With UConn; Details Inside
LA Lakers have been dealt a heavy blow in their pursuit of a coach as the top runner for the job, Dan Hurley has decided to stay at UConn.
Dan Hurley is staying at UConn and has turned down the Los Angeles Lakers' offer to take over as head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Hurley's hiring by the Lakers, who are looking to replace Darvin Ham, took a serious turn in the last few weeks but apparently, it's not going to be completed. ESPN analyst JJ Redick is also linked heavily for the job. According to Wojnarowski, they were willing to give Hurley $70 million spread over six years.
Hurley was impressed with the Lakers' pitch but declined the job
Hurley told Woj on Sunday that he was "extremely impressed" by the Lakers' pitch after meeting with team governor Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka.
When it comes to moving up from the college ranks to the pros the grass might seem greener. Being a part of elite college athletics was always a year-round, hard grind. Because of the amount of roster turnover that occurs each year, the steady emergence of the transfer portal has only made the job more difficult.
What could be the possible reasons for declining the job offer?
The 51-year-old would be uprooting his family and leaving Southern California, with no guarantees about what would become of him in the long run. No coach has been on the sidelines for more than three seasons since Phil Jackson retired in 2011.
With a top-heavy roster centered on LeBron James and Anthony Davis—two stars in their 30s who battled chronic injuries before returning to health this past year—whoever replaces Ham will have to win quickly. The team, which won its most recent championship in 2020, has advanced to the Western Conference Finals once.
If you can hold onto the position long enough to switch to a rebuild, you're trusting a front-office administration that hasn't demonstrated it can develop a roster capable of winning a championship on its own.
Perhaps giving some background information on the Lakers' purported offer would also be beneficial. A $11.7 million salary per year isn't particularly high given the NBA coaching market's explosive growth. Hurley, to stay in Storrs, is reportedly leaving some money on the table, according to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68. A roughly $50 million six-year offer has been presented by UConn.
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