Coaching the Lakers is a hard job to pass up, except maybe Dan Hurley should

Earlier this week, during an appearance on “The Mike Francesa Podcast,” UConn’s Dan Hurley left open the possibility of one day leaving for the NBA.

The coach of college basketball’s two-time reigning national champs said that UConn fits him perfectly but that he aspires to test himself at the highest level “if the right NBA situation were to come along.”

When Francesa expressed surprise, Hurley elaborated on what the “right situation” meant to him. He said it had to be a job “where an organization wants a tone setter to come in and instill a culture. You know, young players and an organization that wants to pursue championships.”

Those comments took on newfound meaning early Thursday when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bombshell story with the potential significant implications at both the NBA and college level. The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Hurley as the franchise’s next head coach and are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer, Wojnarowski reported. The two sides are reportedly set to meet on Friday.

Would Dan Hurley pass up the opportunity at a three-peat to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers? (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

It doesn’t take a basketball savant to see why Hurley would be intrigued by the opportunity to coach the Lakers. This is maybe the premier job in basketball. It’s a chance to guide a franchise that has captured 17 NBA championships, that has landed high-profile free agent after high-profile free agent and that has never hesitated to pay big-name coaches top dollar.

Phil Jackson earned an annual salary of $12 million near the end of his Lakers tenure that ended 13 years ago. Would it surprise anyone if the Lakers’ offer to Hurley surpassed that?

It also helps that Hurley appears to have the approval of the most powerful man in the Lakers organization. In April, responding to an interview that JJ Redick did with Hurley for his podcast, LeBron James wrote on X: “He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their O! Love it.”

Then there’s the matter of how much more taxing and exhausting it is to be a college…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-06 14:45:36

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