Lakers Believe Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Max Christie Would Greatly Improve Under Dan Hurley

According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers believe Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Max Christie would greatly improve under Dan Hurley.

The Lakers are targeting Hurley as their next head coach.

“Beyond the 17th pick in this month’s draft, the Lakers have a young core of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Max Christie that management believes can still show even greater improvement under Hurley’s coaching, sources said,” Woj wrote. 

Hurley has informed UConn players that he’s spoken to the Lakers, who lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of this year’s postseason in five games.

Denver also defeated Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals in four games. 

The Lakers have been linked to Hurley, JJ Redick, James Borrego, Sam Cassell and David Adelman in their coaching search. Redick and LeBron James co-host the “Mind The Game” podcast. 

Hurley, who has guided UConn to back-to-back titles, is seriously interested in coaching the Lakers, who have LeBron and Anthony Davis, two of the best players in the NBA. 

“The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the sides are planning to escalate discussions in the coming days, sources told ESPN,” Woj wrote. “Hurley has been at the forefront of the Lakers’ search from the beginning of the process, even while the organization has done its due diligence interviewing several other candidates, sources said.

“Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss are eager to formally discuss with Hurley their vision of marrying his dominant program — built upon his tactical acumen and his elite player development — with the storied Lakers brand, sources said.

“Hurley, 51, has often described his ambition to one day coach in the NBA and has expressed to the Lakers a desire to explore the full picture of a partnership with one of basketball’s winningest franchises, sources said.”

Reaves and Hachimura signed new contracts with the Lakers last offseason, while Christie becomes a restricted free agent this offseason.

Davis is under contract with the Lakers for a while, while LeBron is expected to re-sign with Los Angeles this offseason after declining his 2024-25 player option.