Dan Hurley Turns Down Lakers Coaching Offer, To Remain At UConn

UConn coach Dan Hurley has turned down an offer to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Lakers’ offer reportedly was for six years and $70 million. Hurley, 51, told Wojnarowski that he intended to take the weekend to think about the offer before reaching a decision on Monday.

Hurley will now focus on a new deal with UConn after winning back-to-back championships with the program.

“As swept away as Hurley became by the Lakers courtship and vision for him, he ultimately couldn’t walk away from a chance to make history and pursue a third straight NCAA title,” Wojnarowski wrote. “Even before Lakers talks, Hurley already had a UConn offer to become one of highest-paid NCAA coaches and those talks will continue, per sources.”

A lot of insiders felt Hurley would remain at UConn all along. So did St. John’s coach Rick Pitino.

“What I’m hearing — and I have no [inside information] — is that his father [Bob Hurley Sr.] and his wife [Andrea] are very strong in his life and they don’t want to go,” Pitino told Dave Blezow of The New York Post. “I think he’s going to try it, no different than [John] Calipari tried it or I tried it. I don’t think he’s going to take the job, but I think he’s going to try the pros someday.”

Hurley signed a six-year, $32.1 million deal with UConn after the 2023 championship season. His buyout to join the NBA would be roughly $1.9 million.

Along with Hurley and former NBA shooting guard JJ Redick, the Lakers reportedly have met with New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Boston Celtics assistant and former NBA point guard Sam Cassell and Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman.