The Los Angeles Lakers will find out if they have their next coach lined up on Monday, as Dan Hurley will make his decision between returning to UConn, where he’s led the Huskies to back-to-back men’s national championships, or take a reportedly large offer from the Lakers.
UConn coach Dan Hurley plans to make a decision on his future Monday, he tells ESPN. Lakers made a “compelling case” to him in LA but he loves what he’s built with the two-time defending national champions and is weighing it all now. Full story: https://t.co/dlTX9SkdHG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 9, 2024
Per Woj, Hurley and the Lakers met this weekend and the team made a “compelling case” to the UConn head coach, who told Woj he was “extremely impressed” by the presentation in L.A. on Friday after meeting with Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss. It’s rather fascinating that this is all happening very publicly, with Hurley confirming reports and the entire pursuit by the Lakers being reported out step-by-step.
Typically, coaching searches feature a handful of top names — and even a frontrunner — but because there’s always a chance someone says no (or another candidate blows the team away in interviews), they don’t often make it so abundantly clear they’ve made their choice and are simply hoping for a yes. That won’t matter much if Hurley says yes on Monday, as the Lakers will have gotten their man. However, if Hurley says no this becomes a disaster for L.A., to have so publicly chased a coach and now obviously be offering the job to their Plan B — possibly (probably?) JJ Redick. That adds even more pressure to the job than already would’ve existed, while also making for a rather embarrassing swing and a miss for the Lakers to make such an all-out pursuit and be turned down.