Rick Pitino Doesn’t Think Dan Hurley Will Take Lakers Job: ‘His Father And Wife Don’t Want To Go’

Legendary coach Rick Pitino doesn’t think Dan Hurley will leave UConn for the Los Angeles Lakers even though Hurley has made it known he wants to coach in the NBA one day. 

“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 some day.”

The Lakers have offered Hurley a $100 million contract.

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.

If Hurley doesn’t take the job, Los Angeles will likely hire JJ Redick. 

According to NBA reporter Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Mike Krzyzewski’s belief in Hurley led the Lakers to aggressively pursue him.

“Legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who, according to multiple sources, has become a respected unofficial advisor to the Lakers during the hiring process, has a strong relationship with Hurley,” Buha wrote. “Krzyzewski coached Hurley’s older brother, Bobby, at Duke from 1989 to 1993, winning back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992. Back in March, Dan Hurley said that Krzyzewski pushed him to take the UConn job in 2018 and that the two speak at least twice yearly.

“Though Krzyzewski also has ties to Redick, who played under him at Duke from 2002 to 2006, his relationship with Hurley and the belief he has shown in him has been one of the many factors in the process that has led the Lakers to aggressively pursue him, according to team and league sources.”

The Lakers’ courting of Hurley was kept secret from the public and even several key LA decision-makers.

LeBron James, who can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason by declining his 2024-25 player option, has made it known that he is staying out of the Lakers’ coaching search.

According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Lakers want to make sure Anthony Davis is aligned with the new head coach. Davis didn’t have a good relationship with Darvin Ham, who was fired after two seasons. 

Along with Hurley and Redick, the Lakers have met with James Borrego, Sam Cassell and David Adelman. 

“Team and league sources cautioned that the coaching search remains far from settled,” Buha wrote. “Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss will interview Hurley in a more formal manner on Friday, league sources confirmed. There is still a chance the 51-year-old will work out a new contract with Connecticut and remain college basketball’s top coach. Hurley signed a six-year, $32.1 million deal with Connecticut after the 2023 championship season. His buyout to join the NBA would be roughly $1.9 million.

“Redick, considered the front-runner for weeks, remains a viable candidate, according to league sources.”