The Los Angeles Lakers are focusing on UConn males’s basketball coach Dan Hurley because the franchise’s subsequent coach and are making ready a large, long-term contract provide to deliver the back-to-back NCAA nationwide champion to the NBA, sources informed ESPN.
The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the perimeters are planning to escalate discussions within the coming days, sources informed 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 stated.
Lakers vp of basketball operations and common supervisor Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss are desperate to formally focus on 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 stated.
Hurley, 51, has typically described his ambition to in the future coach within the NBA and has expressed to the Lakers a need to discover the complete image of a partnership with considered one of basketball’s winningest franchises, sources stated.
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 faculties comparable to UConn are an particularly relentless grind — and are anticipated to grow to be much more troublesome.
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 opportunity 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 workers turning into accountable for Bronny’s professional growth.
In a social media put up responding to a podcast interview with JJ Redick, James posted on X about Hurley: “He is so DAMN GOOD!!! Alongside together with his workers. Tremendous artistic with their [offense]. Find it irresistible.”
The Lakers have been dedicated to creating All-NBA ahead Anthony Davis a big a part of the dialog on the following head coach and need to be sure that he is aligned with how a brand new coach plans to function him on offense and protection, sources stated.
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 stated. The Lakers have proceeded with conversations with different candidates over the previous few weeks, however the potential of touchdown Hurley has been the main focus of the Lakers’ search, sources stated.
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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 flexibility 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 higher enchancment underneath Hurley’s teaching, sources stated.
After traditionally dominant back-to-back nationwide title seasons, Hurley has emerged as essentially the most coveted coach within the sport — and the opportunity of him leaving UConn and the Massive East Convention for the Lakers has large implications for school 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 most important 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 staff, however the Huskies did lose two lottery picks (middle Donovan Clingan and guard Stephon Fortress) 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 College 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 top coach at Arizona State.