NBA Rumors: Dan Hurley to Meet with Lakers’ Pelinka, Buss on Friday About HC Job

Julia StumbaughJune 6, 2024

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UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley is set to meet with the Los Angeles Lakers about potentially taking the head coach job, Adrian Wojnarowski said Thursday on ESPN’s NBA Countdown.

“I’m told that Dan Hurley is going to meet tomorrow with Rob Pelinka — the Lakers’ VP and GM — and Jeanie Buss, their owner,” Wojnarowski said. “Dan Hurley and his agent, they are going to sit down tomorrow and go through the framework about what a deal would look like and what a Dan Hurley-Lakers partnership would look like in LA. The Lakers have been extremely aggressive trying to lure Dan Hurley out of UConn.”

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnReporting on the Dan Hurley/Lakers talks for NBA Countdown with ⁦@malika_andrews⁩ pic.twitter.com/NwwK1Qaluq

Wojnarowski continued: “This is a negotiation that has traction. This is a situation for Dan Hurley where the opportunity to sign a long and very lucrative contract is available to him and he is very serious about these conversations he’s having with the Lakers. I do think this is a process that — one way or another — will wrap up fairly quickly.”

Though Hurley has reportedly not made a decision yet, Wojnarowski reported “there is momentum in these discussions.”

The coach informed UConn officials of his interest in the Lakers job on Wednesday, telling his players about the situation on Thursday, per Wojnarowski.

Hurley has coached UConn since 2018. He led the Huskies to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024.

The Lakers are searching for a replacement for Darvin Ham, whom the organization fired after two seasons in May.

Wojnarowski reported earlier Thursday that the Lakers were “preparing a massive, long-term contract offer” for Hurley.

Although Wojnarowski wrote that the Lakers have interviewed other candidates including assistant coaches James Borrego (New Orleans Pelicans), Sam Cassell (Boston Celtics) and David Adelman (Denver Nuggets), as well as former player JJ Redick, the ESPN reporter said Hurley “has been the focus of the Lakers’ search.”

Los Angeles fired the entirety of the organization’s coaching staff after the team’s first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported.

That would give Hurley a fresh start as the Lakers look to build a championship contender around Anthony Davis despite the uncertainty over whether LeBron James will return next season.

Hurley signed a six-year, $32.1 million contract with UConn after the team’s 2023 championship season. He will owe the school a buyout of $1.875 million if he walks away this summer, per Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams.

That price could be worth it for the Lakers if they believe they have found a new long-term leader in Hurley. The franchise hasn’t kept a head coach in place for more than three seasons since Phil Jackson’s final campaign ended in 2011.

The team could also be hoping that hiring Hurley would help convince James to stay in Los Angeles. The star must decide by June 29 whether to take his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, per Spotrac.