Dan Hurley says the Lakers could have changed his decision with a better contract offer.

Dan Hurley

UConn Men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley recently turned down an opportunity to lead the most storied franchise in the sport. While many factors played into his choice to stay at UConn, he confirmed that there was a financial number the team could have reached to sway his decision the other way.

“To leave, there probably is. To leave a place at any moment in your life, to say finances are a motivating factor is a thing. To stay at a place I don’t think it’s ever gonna be a thing. To stay at UConn, I think it never would have been a financial thing. This wasn’t some pressure tactic to make me the highest-paid college coach.. that sh*t was already done… but to leave all of that behind there probably is a number but I don’t know what that is.”

 

Hurley, a 2x NCAA National Champion, was offered a six-year, $70 million contract by the Lakers ($11.6 million per year) which would have put him just behind the NBA’s coaches such as Steve Kerr ($17.5 million), Gregg Popovich ($16 million), Erik Spoelstra ($15 million), Tyronn Lue ($14 million), and Monty Williams ($13 million).

It would have been a pretty substantial pay raise for Hurley, who had just reached an extension with the Huskies for six years and $32.1 million. Unfortunately for the Lakers, it just wasn’t enough to pull Hurley from the grips of UConn basketball. By not going all-out and making an offer that 51-year-old Hurley couldn’t refuse, the Lakers cost themselves their first and best choice for their new head coach.

The whole situation is not only an embarrassment for the NBA’s biggest franchise, but it’s also exposing their status as a frugally-ran team. The Lakers, despite their glamourous reputation, are falling behind other teams in teams across the league financially and it’s a known fact that they are going without some key features and programs that many other teams have been utilizing.

After mulling on former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick for weeks, the Lakers presented a hail-mary offer to Hurley out of nowhere hoping that he would be the one to change their franchise. As it turns out, they just couldn’t afford his services. Now, without Hurley or Redick, the Lakers are fresh out of ideas on where to look next and time is running short.

As the Finals draw to a close and the off-season looms, the Lakers will feel more pressure than ever to make this coaching hire but they cannot afford to make the wrong choice. Whoever they bring in next will set the tone for this final stretch of the LeBron James era and it’s important that he’s someone who can stick around for more than just a few years.

It remains to be seen who the Lakers will set their eyes on next but the mood in Los Angeles is anything but optimistic right now. With no plan or direction for the future, the Lakers are completely in the dark and I’m not sure they have what it takes to find their way out.