Sources – Lakers preparing massive offer to UConn’s Dan Hurley

The Los Angeles Lakers are concentrating on UConn males’s basketball coach Dan Hurley because the franchise’s subsequent coach and are getting ready a large, long-term contract supply to carry the back-to-back NCAA nationwide champion to the NBA, sources instructed ESPN.

The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the edges are planning to escalate discussions within the coming days, sources instructed ESPN. Hurley has been on the forefront of the Lakers’ search from the start of the method, even whereas the group has completed its due diligence interviewing a number of different candidates, sources mentioned.

Lakers vice chairman of basketball operations and basic supervisor Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss are desirous to formally talk about with Hurley their imaginative and prescient of marrying his dominant program — constructed upon his tactical acumen and his elite participant growth — with the storied Lakers model, sources mentioned.

Hurley, 51, has typically described his ambition to at some point coach within the NBA and has expressed to the Lakers a need to discover the total image of a partnership with one in every of basketball’s winningest franchises, sources mentioned.

Hurley instructed UConn gamers at apply Thursday that the Lakers had contacted him and that he was listening to what they needed to say, sources mentioned.

The pursuit of Hurley comes on the twentieth anniversary of the Lakers making an attempt to rent then-Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski to a record-breaking contract in 2004. Krzyzewski elected to stay with the Blue Devils, however the local weather has dramatically modified in faculty athletics. The calls for of NIL fundraising for non-power-football colleges reminiscent of UConn are an particularly relentless grind — and are anticipated to develop into much more tough.

As for the Lakers’ stars, LeBron James has been impressed with Hurley’s refined offensive actions. Assuming James returns to L.A. in free company, the potential of utilizing the fifty fifth choose on this month’s NBA draft on USC freshman guard Bronny James makes Hurley an much more intriguing candidate. If that occurs, James will get an opportunity to play together with his son and the advantage of Hurley and his employees changing into liable for Bronny’s professional growth.

In a social media publish responding to a podcast interview with JJ Redick, James posted on X about Hurley: “He is so DAMN GOOD!!! Alongside together with his employees. Tremendous artistic with their [offense]. Like it.”

James has not had any conversations with the Lakers about Hurley or Redick, or the teaching search generally for that matter, a supply conversant in the state of affairs instructed ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Thursday. James, by way of his representatives, has made it clear that the Lakers ought to do what’s finest for the group and that he’s conscious and respectful that the Lakers have to decide on a coach who can be with the group past his enjoying profession.

The Lakers have been dedicated to creating All-NBA ahead Anthony Davis a major a part of the dialog on the subsequent head coach and wish to be sure he is aligned with how a brand new coach plans to function him on offense and protection, sources mentioned.

The Lakers have had a number of interviews with different candidates, together with New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Redick, Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell and Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman, sources mentioned. The Lakers have proceeded with conversations with different candidates over the previous few weeks, however the potential of touchdown Hurley has been the main target of the Lakers’ search, sources mentioned.

A part of the attract of Hurley traces again to the altering panorama of NBA roster constructing underneath the collective bargaining settlement. Due to the roster-building limitations of the brand new second apron, the power of big-market groups to assemble contending rosters by buying and selling a number of draft picks and younger gamers for a 3rd star participant has largely been eradicated. Past the seventeenth choose on this month’s draft, the Lakers have a younger core of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Max Christie that administration believes can nonetheless present even larger enchancment underneath Hurley’s teaching, sources mentioned.

After traditionally dominant back-to-back nationwide title seasons, Hurley has emerged as essentially the most coveted coach within the sport — and the potential of him leaving UConn and the Massive East Convention for the Lakers has large implications for faculty basketball and for the NBA. Hurley has constructed a juggernaut that has lapped the game — culminating with the NCAA’s first repeat champion in 17 years and a event efficiency that produced the largest level differential in event historical past: 140 factors.

The potential of UConn successful a 3rd straight title looms with the return of a preseason top-five group, however the Huskies did lose two lottery picks (heart Donovan Clingan and guard Stephon Citadel) and a first-team All-America level guard (Tristen Newton) to the NBA draft.

The Lakers dismissed coach Darvin Ham after a first-round exit within the Western Convention playoffs. Ham was 94-70 in two seasons — together with a visit to the Western Convention finals in 2023.

Hurley is 141-58 (.709) in six seasons because the UConn coach, and he holds an NCAA event document of 12 consecutive double-digit victories. A son of Naismith Corridor of Fame coach Bob Hurley Sr. — for whom Hurley performed for at famed St. Anthony Excessive Faculty of Jersey Metropolis, New Jersey — Dan Hurley spent 9 years as a highschool coach at St. Benedict’s Prep earlier than quickly rebuilding faculty packages at Wagner and Rhode Island. His older brother, Bobby, is the pinnacle coach at Arizona State.