Report: Lakers to Make 'Massive' Offer to Accomplished College Basketball Coach

J.P. Hoornstra | Jun 6, 2024

Apr 8, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley shakes hands with Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter before the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament between the Connecticut Huskies and the Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing a "massive, long term" offer to UConn's Dan Hurley to become their next head coach, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The news comes as a major surprise following days of reports linking the Lakers to 19-year NBA veteran and current ESPN commentator J.J. Redick.

Now, Wojnarowski reports the Lakers are "planning to escalate discussions in the coming days" with Hurley, who guided the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2023 and 2024.

All of Hurley's head coaching experience lies in the college or prep ranks. Prior to UConn (2018-24), Hurley, 51, was previously the head coach at Rhode Island (2012-18) and Wagner (2010-12). He was also an assistant coach at Rutgers from 1997-2001.

At UConn, Hurley's teams went 141–58, including a remarkable 37-3 in 2023-24. After the season, he was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year and the Sporting News National Coach of the Year.

During his nine-year tenure at St. Benedict’s Prep (2001-10), Hurley led the Grey Bees to a 223-21 record, coached four McDonald’s All-Americans, and developed four teams that were ranked in the top-five in the nation.

For all Hurley's accolades, Redick was the more familiar name to NBA fans. He had enjoyed an outstanding career as a critical role player on several playoff contenders from 2006-21, including the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished with career averages of 12.8 points on .447/.415/.892 shooting, as well as two rebounds and two assists across 940 career regular season games.

Given his media personality, Redick was a logical choice in the Los Angeles media market. In addition to his work with ESPN, Redick hosts a pair of podcasts on his own network: "The Old Man And The Three" and "Mind The Game," the latter of which is co-hosted by current Lakers All-StarLeBron James.

And yet, appearing on ESPN on Thursday, Wojnarowski said Hurley "has been the target of the Lakers' search since the beginning," noting that Hurley has publicly expressed ambitions of making the leap to the NBA before.

Reporting for @SportsCenter on the Lakers accelerating talks with UConn coach Dan Hurley pic.twitter.com/BSuIYK8YCx

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2024

Either Redick or Hurley would both be in line for their first NBA head coaching gig. It's not a given that Hurley will accept the Lakers' terms, but it sounds as if they intend to make Hurley an offer he cannot refuse.

We should learn more about this critical step for the future of the franchise in the days to come.