To start the offseason, it seemed to be an uneventful coaching search for the Los Angeles Lakers with ESPN color commentator JJ Redick seemingly being the frontrunner for the position.
However, a surprise candidate emerged out of nowhere on Thursday morning, that being UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley. Hurley is someone who has coached in college for several years and won back-to-back National Championships at UConn, while Redick has not coached above the youth level.
Despite all this recent reporting about Hurley emerging as the new frontrunner and L.A. aggressively pursuing him, Redick remains a viable option should the 51-year-old ultimately decide to pass on this opportunity, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
Team and league sources cautioned that the coaching search remains far from settled. 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.
While general manager Rob Pelinka is rumored to have offered Hurley over $100 million, this remains far from a done deal with the UConn coach still mulling his options. There is a viable lure of him returning to Connecticut for a possible 3-peat, plus moving cross country is not an easy choice with his family playing a major factor.
But it makes sense to devote all this time, energy and effort to bring a coach of Hurley’s caliber to L.A. However, should things not materialize, Redick remains in the mix and likely will be the Lakers’ next option.
LeBron James has not had conversations about Dan Hurley or JJ Redick
This coaching search is a crucial one given a core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis having limited time left together. There is definitely a need to find a consistent coaching figure after moving off of two coaches in two years.
Since Phil Jackson’s departure in 2011, the Lakers have not had a coach for more than three seasons. So finding a guy that can win immediately, while also being able to coach L.A. through a new era when James decides to hang it up, is extremely important. While James has limited time left in the NBA and seemingly would have a vested interest in who the Lakers hire, he reportedly has not had conversations with Dan Hurley or JJ Redick, opting to not be involved in this coaching search.
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