On Thursday, news broke seemingly out of nowhere that the Los Angeles Lakers were making a serious push to hire Dan Hurley from the University of Connecticut as their next head coach.
Hurley has been the Huskies’ head coach since 2018, and with him leading the way, they have won the last two NCAA championships.
He reportedly met with the Lakers on Friday, and he has been spending time deciding whether to remain in the Northeast or head out West to coach the Purple and Gold.
The 51-year-old has admitted that the Lakers’ pitch is compelling.
Via ESPN:
“UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley told ESPN that the Los Angeles Lakers made a ‘compelling case’ and presented a ‘compelling vision’ for him to become the franchise’s next coach but that he loves what he has built at two-time defending national champion UConn — and plans to make a decision on his future Monday.
“In a phone interview Sunday, Hurley told ESPN that he left ‘extremely impressed’ with Lakers VP and GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss and had been spending Sunday weighing what sources tell ESPN is a massive, long-term offer to move to the NBA.”
The Lakers reportedly not only want Hurley to be their next head coach, but they also want him to be a program-builder. According to an insider, they prepared an offer of about $100 million over eight years.