Did Dan Hurley use Los Angeles Lakers interview to get more money from UConn?
UConn’s coach was offered a huge contract by the Lakers and said no, which has led to speculation about his motives. He says it was all above board.
The Huskies coach sat down to give his take on what happened with the Los Angeles Lakers and why. Indeed, it was something he felt was necessary in the wake of rumors suggesting that it was all a ploy to get more money out of his current employers.
What did Dan Hurley say about ‘leverage’ speculation?
On Thursday, UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley sat down for a chat on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” and during the conversation, his recent interview with the Los Angeles Lakers came up. It was at that point that the Huskies coach flatly denied the idea that there was a “leverage play” involved with the NBA franchise. To be clear, it has been suggested that Hurley used the interest of the Lakers to get a better deal from the University of Connecticut where he coaches at present.
“One of the worst takes I’ve heard is that this was a leverage play by me to improve my situation at UConn,” Hurley said. “I don’t need leverage here. We’ve won back-to-back national championships at this place. ...I’ve had a contract in place here for a couple of weeks.” Clearly focussed on the hunt for a three-peat, Hurley then explained that it was never about becoming the highest-paid coach in the college game, a status that he seemed to imply he has. “The financial part, in terms of salary, has been done for a while,” he continued. “There’s some other parts, like NIL and staff salaries, some different things that I want adjusted, that I’m not comfortable with. But the sense of the idea that this was some conspiracy to get me a sweeter deal at UConn is just, it’s lazy.”
Interestingly, Hurley did admit that he, like anybody else, does have his price. To that end, we can assume the Lakers’ six-year, $70 million offer simply didn’t match it. To be clear, that figure would have put him among the NBA’s six highest-paid coaches. “To leave a place at any moment in your life, to say that it’s not a motivating factor - the finances - is definitely a thing,” Hurley said. “I know how much it means to my dad to go to the Big East tournament and come to 10 UConn games a year at home, sitting courtside when I’m coaching against Rick Pitino. To leave all of that behind, there probably is a number. I don’t know what that is.”
Ultimately, Hurley is staying put at least for the time being. Yet, it’s definitely worth noting that he himself appears to be at peace with the decision. Speaking at a press conference held later that same day, the 51-year-old explained his choice. “In the end, it’s like, ‘What fulfills you?’” he said. “What is the combination of your mind and your heart telling you to do? What’s best for your family? Where do you belong at this point? ...his was a great test and a great exercise for me for how I feel about UConn. How I feel about being a college coach and other things that have value. Situations like this come up for you to test your value system and the things are important to you.”