Things are heating up between the Los Angeles Lakers and UConn head coach Dan Hurley as he is expected to meet with Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss about their coaching vacancy on Friday.
Even before meeting, the Lakers and Hurley have already begun discussing contract parameters with the expectation being that L.A. will give him a huge offer that he can’t refuse.
Hurley has been open about how much he has enjoyed his time at UConn, although he has also spoken on his desire to eventually make the jump to the NBA so it might just take the right offer to make that happen. And according to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68, UConn’s offer to keep Hurley is not expected to be close to the Lakers’:
HUGE DAY as Dan Hurley will meet with the Lakers brass in Los Angeles.
One source close to Hurley told @TheFieldOf68 it’s “50-50” whether he heads to the NBA or returns to UConn.
Source told @TheFieldOf68 UConn has strong offer on table, but obviously can’t match or even get…
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 7, 2024
UConn’s current contract offer would make Dan Hurley one of the top 3 paid coaches in college basketball, behind Bill Self and John Calipari, source told @TheFieldOf68. https://t.co/5BWjKbRJ7H
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 7, 2024
Money obviously isn’t expected to be the primary factor in Hurley’s decision, but it could play a role if there is a significant difference between the two – which is the expectation. https://t.co/JvlGwoJxJp
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 7, 2024
While money may not be Hurley’s motivating factor in this decision, if the gap is as wide as it’s reported to be then it would be hard for him to reason with not making the jump to the NBA.
Hurley has always been a coach that takes challenges head on, and returning the Lakers to greatness while coaching LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be his biggest challenge yet.
With the sides expected to meet on Friday, this could wrap up soon as neither party wants to drag this on and string the other along.
Jim Calhoun believes Dan Hurley should consider Lakers
Even people with ties to UConn believe this is an opportunity that Dan Hurley can’t pass up as legendary head coach Jim Calhoun came out and said that he needs to strongly consider the Lakers.
The landscape in college basketball has changed in a big way with NIL and the transfer portal, and most coaches won’t want to deal with all of that moving forward.
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