Lakers Not Getting Dan Hurley Was a Big Mistake

Dan Hurley was the coach of the Lakers’ dreams, but then he wasn’t

UConn has exploded on the national basketball scene as an NCAA powerhouse. Winning back-to-back national titles will help do that, and it’s all been masterfully crafted by Dan Hurley. When he joined the Huskies in 2018, he turned their program around and now has won multiple titles. His winning has made him an intriguing coaching prospect for teams across the NBA looking to get in on the winning.

One team that cannot stand going any amount of time without winning championships is the Los Angeles Lakers, perhaps the most well-known team in basketball. They’ve consistently been a great team, but have been on a skid since they won the title in 2020. That skid has been full of disappointment for a team with the arguable GOAT in LeBron James, and a very good complimentary piece in Anthony Davis.

So when the Lakers, a top pick to be a disappointment this past season, found themselves in a need for a new coach, it made sense to bring on Hurley. However, after a low-ball contract offer, Hurley elected to remain at UConn.

Why would Hurley work for the Lakers?

Simply put, Hurley could bring championship pedigree and stability to Los Angeles. Since Phil Jackson left the team in 2011, no coach has lasted over 3 seasons as the head man with the Lakers, even coaches who have won. Frank Vogel was ousted within 3 years of his title in 2020, and Darvin Ham led them to a conference finals appearance only a season before getting the pink slip.

Hurley has managed to steadily turn UConn into a top basketball program seemingly overnight, and now he’ll be chasing a third straight NCAA title. Think about what he could do for the Lakers if given the opportunity to help build and manage a roster with some of the best professional basketball players in the world.

Los Angeles is in desperate need of some consistency at the head coach position. Now, with Hurley not being an option, they face an incredibly difficult search for a coach who could bring the same qualities to the position as Hurley.

Why wouldn’t he immediately take the job?

There is no coaching job more scrutinized by the media than the job taken by the head of the Los Angeles Lakers. That effect is amplified even more when the sports biggest media star plays for the team. LeBron James may have been the very reason why coach Darvin Ham was so heavily criticized. There were a few times LeBron had a meltdown when Ham did or didn’t do something. What coach in their right mind would want to deal with this? It doesn’t happen in the NCAA, where the coaches have far more control of their players, and they aren’t put under nearly the same spotlight as the Lakers’ coach is under.

Perhaps Hurley doesn’t want the headache that will be this Lakers offseason. LeBron has made it very clear that he wants to play with his son, Bronny James, in the NBA. Bronny declared for the draft. The ill-prepared Bronny faces the easiest path to the NBA we have seen in a long time, but teams aren’t scrambling to get him, they want to get LeBron.

For Los Angeles, their goal would be to keep LeBron, who has delivered a championship and mostly kept the team in contention in his time there. His player option worth $51.4 million needs to be decided upon by June 29th, which takes place just a few days after the NBA draft on June 26th and 27th. Essentially, he is a free agent this offseason. That’s one heck of a headache especially considering the Lakers have to seriously consider moving on and restarting as a franchise,

Should LeBron leave, the Lakers would be in one of the worst positions for a coach in the league. If they drafted Bronny, it’d also be a tough spot for any coach in the league. I have no doubt that Hurley could manage the situation, but it also makes sense to avoid the chaos and focus on winning another national title back at UConn.

This job was worth far more to Hurley than the 6 year, $70 million salary the Lakers offered, worth around $11.67 million per year. Hurley would only be the 5th highest paid coach in the league, which doesn’t make sense in the Lakers market. For a coach to come into that situation and leave the UConn program, which is reportedly offering a massive contract extension, it would take a lot more than $70 million

What’s the next step for Los Angeles?

Being an NBA team without a coach during the most crucial part of the NBA offseason is a pretty bad situation. It gets even worse when you’re the biggest brand in the NBA and the media won’t ever take their eyes off the team. For the Lakers, they have to find a coach as soon as possible, as that should be a much more pressing need than getting LeBron James to resign for his 22nd season.

JJ Redick has been the biggest other name that is projected to become the Lakers head coach, but reports are that he is not likely to take the job. I imagine they will have to reach within the mystery box of assistant coaches elsewhere around the league.

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