- The Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham on May 3, 2024, after coaching the team for two seasons, amassing a 90-74 record.
- Ham took the team to the conference finals in his first year, but was let go after a first-round exit this season. ESPN analyst JJ Redick was thought to be the front-runner.
- ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Lakers are targeting Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley, and are preparing a huge contract offer to entice him.
The Los Angeles Lakers always seem to be in the midst of drama. Led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they won their 17th NBA championship in 2020 in the “bubble”, then fired Frank Vogel two seasons later. Darvin Ham was then hired to coach the team, but he was let go after this past season.
The Lakers started their search immediately, amidst a slew of candidates, and it looked like ESPN analyst and former NBA player JJ Redick was at the top of their list.
It has since emerged, via ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, that the Lakers are pivoting to Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley. They’re putting together a “massive offer” to get Hurley to leave his lofty post at UConn. No numbers were reported, but it has to be a considerable offer to prompt Hurley to leave Storrs.
Will Hurley Leave UConn For The NBA After Winning Back-To-Back Titles?
Dan Hurley is the son of Bob Hurley Sr., who is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His brother is Bobby Jr., who was a star at Duke and played six seasons in the NBA. Bobby Jr. has been the head coach at Arizona State since 2015.
Hurley wasn’t the player his older brother was, but he developed an astute basketball mind. He worked his way through Wagner and Rhode Island before moving to Connecticut in 2018.
To say his time at UConn has been successful, is an understatement. Hurley is 141-58 in four years at the helm of the Huskies. He has also won back-to-back national titles, and college basketball betting sites have UConn favored to three-peat. However, those odds would surely drop if Hurley were to leave for the Lakers.
James is a fan of Hurley’s style, tweeting this from his official X account following the Huskies’ 75-60 win over Purdue to win their second straight national title:
Where Does This Leave Redick?
Coincidentally, James was responding to an interview that Hurley did with Redick, who was thought to be the front-runner as the next Lakers’ coach. The former Duke star and 17-year NBA veteran was the favorite at most NBA betting sites to win the job. Redick, who does a podcast with James called “Mind the Game”, is very close with the Lakers’ superstar and is lauded for his tactical acumen in calling games.
However, Redick has never been a head coach on any major level, so that could be a reason the Lakers are moving in a different direction. For Redick, it might be a relief if he doesn’t get the job. Taking your first head-coaching role with the Lakers, under the bright lights of Los Angeles, and with an aging James who desperately wants another ring, might have been too much pressure for him.
Meanwhile, Redick will be fine. He still has calls games on NBA’s main team for ESPN, while his podcast network (“Mind the Game” and “The Old Man and the Three”) is growing in popularity. There will be plenty of jobs for Redick to start his coaching career with. But a spotlight job such as the Lakers might not be the best fit.
