The shocking news that the Los Angeles Lakers and University of Connecticut coach Dan Hurley have been in communication about the Lakers’ head coaching vacancy came as a shock to many around the NBA, and even some inside the organization.
The organization’s approach to Hurley, first reported by ESPN, was confirmed on Thursday. Athletic The plan, communicated through team and league sources, was kept secret from the public and even from several key Lakers decision makers.
Team and league sources said Hurley’s name had been coming up in internal conversations since last week. Athletic. At the time, Hurley’s chances of becoming the team’s next head coach were slim. ESPN analyst and former player JJ Redick was seen as the front-runner by many in the NBA and Lakers organization, and New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach He maintained a strong relationship with All-NBA big man Anthony Davis.
Now, Hurley, who led Connecticut to back-to-back national championships, has emerged as a legitimate contender, if not the favorite.
Team and league sources cautioned that the coaching search has not yet been finalized, with Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss expected to interview Hurley in a more formal capacity on Friday. There’s still a chance the 51-year-old Hurley could sign a new contract with Connecticut and remain one of the top college basketball coaches, a source confirmed. Hurley signed a six-year, $32.1 million contract with the school following its championship season in 2023, with a buyout of about $1.9 million to join the NBA.
Redick, who has been considered the front-runner for weeks, remains the favorite, league sources said.
Hurley’s profile is attractive to the Lakers. He fits many of the boxes the Lakers were looking for in this process. He is considered organized, disciplined and a tireless worker. He is a proven tactician and leads one of the best offenses in college basketball. He helped lead the University of Connecticut back to glory after nearly a decade of not making it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He has a keen sense of player development and is known as a culture builder with a strong, intense personality.
It’s unclear how the Los Angeles stars feel about Hurley’s potential as the team’s coach. Davis’ input has been central to the Lakers’ coaching search, and he has a strong rapport with Borrego, who he was with briefly in New Orleans. James tweeted his support for Hurley’s offensive system in April, ironically in response to an interview between Redick and Hurley on Redick’s “Old Man & the Three” podcast. James has a $51.4 million player option for next season.
Legendary former Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski has been Krzyzewski, who became a respected informal adviser to the Lakers during the recruiting process, has a strong relationship with Hurley, who coached Hurley’s brother, Bobby, at Duke from 1989-93 and won back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992, sources said. Dan Hurley said in March that Krzyzewski urged him to accept the head coaching job at Connecticut in 2018 and that the two talk at least twice a year.
Krzyzewski also has ties to Redick, who played for him at Duke from 2002-06, but his relationship with Hurley and the trust he has in him are among many factors in the process that led the Lakers to actively try to acquire him, according to team and league sources.
Krzyzewski and the Lakers’ history dates back to 2004, when then-owner Dr. Jerry Buss made a tough offer to lure Krzyzewski out of Duke University, but ultimately failed. The Lakers offered Krzyzewski a five-year, $40 million contract, an astronomical amount for a coach at the time. The market has since reset, with coaches like Steve Kerr, Erik Spoelstra, Monty Williams and Mike Budenholzer signing eight-figure contracts per year.
Only time will tell if history repeats itself and Hurley also returns to the University of Connecticut for a higher salary or leaves Storrs, Conn., to accept a big-money offer to coach at one of the NBA’s most traditional franchises in the U.S. While Thursday’s development was shocking, the latest unexpected turn of events does not yet resolve the Lakers’ ongoing coaching search.
