Jay Wright To Emerge As Candidate For Lakers Vacancy?

Former Villanova University coach Jay Wright could emerge as a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers vacancy should UConn’s Dan Hurley turn down an offer from the team, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

While it seems like a long shot, Stein wrote that one “well-placed insider” informed him “to stay ready in case former Villanova coach Jay Wright emerged as a stealth candidate,” with the Lakers.

Wright, 62, last coached the Wildcats during the 2021-22 season. He has been working as a college basketball studio analyst since. There is no word on if Wright has a desire to get back into coaching or if he would be interested in the NBA. He won two national championships at Villanova.

As of this writing, the Lakers were reportedly still waiting for word from Hurley, who is believed to have been offered a $100 million contract from Los Angeles.

Hurley, 51, met with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and team owner Jeannie Buss over the weekend. He told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Lakers made a “compelling” offer and that he intended to decide on his future on Monday.

“In a phone interview Sunday, Hurley told ESPN that he left ‘extremely impressed’ with Lakers VP and GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss and had been spending Sunday weighing what sources tell ESPN is a massive, long-term offer to move to the NBA,” Wojnarowski wrote.

Several sources have told Hoops Wire that Hurley would be looking for some control, or at least some say, in roster decisions.

Hurley has coached the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA championships and reportedly met with his players to at least let them know he was speaking with the Lakers. A lot of insiders feel as if he will remain at UConn. So does 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.

Multiple reports suggest the Lakers will turn to Redick if Hurley turns them down. But perhaps Wright will enter the picture, too.