Why did Dan Hurley reject the Los Angeles Lakers’ $70 million offer to be head coach?
With UConn’s legendary coach having turned down a lucrative offer from the Lakers, the franchise’s search continues but the unanswered question is, ‘why?’
After all of the hype surrounding a possible agreement with the Huskies coach, it seems the Lakers have not got their man. With Dan Hurley now set to stay in Connecticut, the Lakers will have to look elsewhere while Hurley himself will likely take stock of the situation as he looks toward a future career in the NBA, something he has indicated he would like to have.
With Dan Hurley’s rejection, Lakers may turn to previous options
By now you have seen the widespread reports that Dan Hurley has turned down the Los Angeles Lakers offer to be their next head coach. With that Hurley is now set to continue as head coach at the University of Connecticut, which it has to be said is not entirely surprising given the history that he has made with the team. Indeed, Hurley led the Huskies to their second consecutive national championship this past season. As for the details of the deal, reports indicated that the contract was a six-year, $70 million contract.
This of course now places the focus squarely on the Lakers as their hunt for a new coach must go on. To that end, it’s quite likely that we may soon hear more about the two coaches with whom the franchise was linked prior to talk of Hurley i.e., ESPN broadcaster JJ Redick and New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego. As you may know, Redick was initially the front-runner for the job, a notion helped by the fact that he co-hosts the ‘Mind the Game’ podcast with Lakers star LeBron James. That said, the former 76ers player has no experience as a coach.
Concerning Borrego, fans will know him from his time with the Hornets. Indeed, while he was unable to lead them to the playoffs, he did manage to register the most wins the team has seen since 2015 with a record of 43-39. Most recently, he joined the New Orleans Pelicans and guided the team to its 11th-best offense just one season after finishing 20th in that same category. If we take a look at the Lakers right here and now, is it unreasonable to think that an offensive-minded coach like Borrego could have a similar effect? Quite frankly, given how the Lakers’ offense looked last season, it couldn’t hurt to try.
With that, we come all the way back to Hurley and the reason why he said no. Ultimately, it’s about history or rather the opportunity to make it. With back-to-back championships in the bag and a roster that is more than capable of competing for a third, Hurley simply couldn’t walk out on that. Indeed, as much as the Huskies coach said the Lakers made a “compelling case” leaving him “extremely impressed” with the GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss, he just simply couldn’t give up the opportunity to achieve something truly special. At this point, the Lakers still have a void to fill, that’s certain, but where Hurley is concerned it will be interesting to see if/when the coach finally makes his way to the NBA, something he previously said he would like to do “down the road.”