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Danny Hurley seemed to be the main target of the Los Angeles Lakers coaching search, which is still ongoing. Ultimately, the two-time defending national champion at UConn turned down the offer from one of the most famous franchises in all of sports.
Ultimately, the allure of likely coaching LeBron James in the twilight of his career and the great weather of Southern California was not enough to get Danny Hurley to leave a chance at a three-peat in his native northeast with UConn.
LeBron James tried to get Danny Hurley to come to Los Angeles, reaching out to him over the weekend.
https://twitter.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1801303227151094115
We had some text messages, incredible messages from him over the course of the weekend. Just, you know, talking about that talking about basketball and some different things and, and let me know, you know that you know that if he was there in LA that I’d have his support and just like, think about that man like, that blew my mind. and then we got into a text exchange and then the exchange even went through to when I chose to go in another direction. So you know, it blew my mind when I get a text message from LeBron James.
The number of coaches to turn down the Los Angeles Lakers over the years can’t be too many. But, Hurley has cited a few reasons, one of them being the contract offer from Los Angeles not being high enough, for him turning down the job.
One reason he may not be saying out loud but was surely a factor is the state of the Lakers roster and assets. LeBron James will turn 40 years old at the end of the year, and Anthony Davis is no spring chicken, either. Outside of those two, assets are few and far between, with the third-best asset probably being Austin Reaves. And, they don’t have many future draft picks to trade, either, as the NBA does not allow teams to go back-to-back years without a first-round pick. Hurley could possibly be waiting for another team with a brighter future to come calling in the near future.
For now, it seems like the Lakers coaching search is turning towards former NBA shooting guard and current ESPN analyst, JJ Redick. That’s someone LeBron is definitely familiar with.
James has an opt-out in his contract this year. Whether he exercises it or not, he is expected to be back with the Lakers next year.