The Los Angeles Lakers are still on the hunt for their next head coach, as Dan Hurley has declined the team’s offer. Despite the possibility of coaching LeBron James, Hurley decided to chase his third straight National Championship at Uconn. Hurley turned down a six-year $70 million offer from the Lakers, but the men’s basketball coach did state that it was a very tough decision. What will the Lakers do now?
Per TMZ, Hurley just has too many reasons to stay at Uconn. Who could really blame the man? Despite the large amount of money, there is no job security for an NBA coach. Coaches will always be the first to go when a team doesn’t perform. A franchise as legendary as the Lakers is no exception.
Even Lebron James Couldn’t Land Dan Hurley
“It was obviously tempting…in the end, too many reasons to be here at UConn. It was something I had to consider. This was not a leverage situation.”
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that LeBron James will even return to L.A. There has been plenty of speculation that James will, in fact, opt out of the final year of his contract with the Lakers. James becoming a free agent and possibly leaving isn’t a great selling point to land a coach like Dan Hurley.
However, this isn’t about LeBron James. Hurley believes that being the first college franchise to win three straight National Championships is far more important. Huskies fans can rest assured now that their beloved coach is there to stay, although Lakers fans may be a little upset.
Despite missing out on Dan Hurley, the Lakers are now going after former NBA player J.J. Redick. Redick has recently begun a job as a broadcaster. However, he has been on the Lakers’ radar for a while now.
LeBron James was recently on Redick’s Mind The Game Podcast, and that really got the rumors going. With Dan Hurley off the table, Redick may be the last option for the Los Angeles Lakers.
