Dan Hurley To LA Lakers Gains Steam With Reported Visit In Place
NBA fans were blind-sided by news on Thursday when UConn's Dan Hurley was named the top candidate of interest for the Los Angeles Lakers.
After two seasons, LA dumped their former coach, Darvin Ham, and the ensuing head-coaching hiring buzz shifted heavily toward J.J. Redick, a former player turned podcaster without a coaching background.
Then Hurley's name popped up and rose to the top, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Hurley is now expected to meet with the team on Friday.
So things are getting serious.
Hurley To LA Gains Momentum
Hurley will meet with Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka alongside owner Jeanie Buss, according to Lakers beat reporter Darren M. Haynes.
Now that Hurley's reportedly set to meet with LA, all eyes shift toward the lauded college coach as the next head coach of the Lakers, their sixth HC in the last decade — following years of success under Phil Jackson and decades of excellence under former owner, Dr. Jerry Buss.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies addresses the media after the National College Basketball Championship game against the Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Stadium on April 8, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Head coach Dan Hurley and the Connecticut Huskies celebrates after the National College Basketball Championship game against the Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Jeanie Buss, owner of the LA Lakers. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
But will Hurley be the guy to bring the Lakers back to prestige?
Is Dan Hurley The Right Guy?
Thursday's report concerning the Lakers job came as a major shock to NBA fans. For weeks, reports had suggested that J.J. Redick could be the front-runner. Redick even teased an announcement during a podcast with Mike Golic.
As of now, Hurley is in touch with the Lakers and Redick seemingly still has a mutual interest in LA.
For a while, Redick appeared as the runaway candidate.
Woj then shared Hurley's name and the Lakers' interest, adding plenty of signs from both camps suggesting a team-up could work out.
As OutKick's Trey Wallace wrote on Thursday, Hurley's been interested in an NBA job for a while. His back-to-back championships with UConn (2023-24) solidified his top-3 college hoops coach status. However, with the changing landscape presented by NIL, Hurley could now want that NBA gig more than ever.
Hurley signed a six-year, $31.5 million contract extension with UConn in 2023, running until 2029.
While Hurley's interest makes sense, the Lakers' interest also comes as a surprise.
The UConn coach has long been seen as a ‘process’ coach, whose rebuilds require time to incorporate his tough regimen.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
With Anthony Davis and a soon-to-be-40 LeBron James, Hurley's process doesn't cater to a LeBron-first, win-now vision.
For years, LeBron's influence on the organization had some effect on a flurry of bad front-office moves and head coaching picks.
J.J. Redick — who co-hosts a podcast with LeBron — had a unique appeal to the position as LeBron's buddy. Since James tends to coach his teams, Redick appeared to be the perfect mouthpiece.
And with Bronny James reportedly at the top of the Lakers' draft board, there was no indication LA wanted a full-blown reboot with their next HC pick.
Hurley can revive the Lakers as a franchise, but certainly not on LeBron's timeline.
(Could this be the first domino in LeBron leaving LA? Does Hurley make a good fit? Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)