Report: LeBron James Impressed With Dan Hurley’s Offense, Hurley Informed UConn Players He Could Take Lakers Job

According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been impressed with Dan Hurley’s sophisticated offensive actions.

The Lakers are targeting Hurley as their next head coach.

“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.”

LeBron has made it known that he is staying out of Los Angeles’ coaching search. The leading scorer in NBA history can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason by declining his 2024-25 player option worth $51.4 million.

LeBron, who turns 40 next season, is expected to re-sign with the Lakers. 

According to John Fanta of Fox Sports, 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 playoffs in five games. Denver also beat Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. 

“The Lakers have been committed to making All-NBA forward Anthony Davis a significant part of the conversation on the next head coach and want to make sure he’s aligned with how a new coach plans to feature him on offense and defense, sources said,” Woj wrote. 

In their coaching search, the Lakers have been linked to Hurley, JJ Redick, James Borrego, Sam Cassell and David Adelman.

Before Woj’s report came out, it was assumed that Los Angeles would hire Redick.