UConn schoolmaster Dan Hurley traveled to Southern California for a Friday assembly with Los Angeles Lakers vp of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and proprietor Jeanie Buss — with the group desperate to near on a do business in to rent the two-time nationwide championship schoolmaster, resources informed ESPN on Thursday.
The Lakers’ pursuit of Hurley to turn out to be the franchise’s then schoolmaster has sped up and the edges are already discussing the contractual parameters of a possible do business in that may be important in its space and wage, resources stated.
Hurley has no longer decided about exiting UConn for the NBA, however there’s momentum in those discussions, resources stated. He knowledgeable UConn’s management Wednesday of his passion in speaking to the Lakers — and his gamers of the talks on Thursday, resources stated.
UConn has gained back-to-back NCAA titles — together with a listing 12 instantly double-digit match victories — and has a top-five staff returning then season.
Hurley has been at the vanguard of the Lakers’ seek from the start of the method, even date the group has achieved its due diligence interviewing a number of alternative applicants, resources stated. Simplest New Orleans Pelicans colleague James Borrego had two in-person interviews in Los Angeles, resources stated.
Pelinka and Buss are desperate to officially visit Hurley their seeing of marrying his dominant program — constructed upon his tactical acumen and elite participant building — with the storied Lakers logo, resources stated.
Hurley, 51, has ceaselessly described his ambition to at least one while schoolmaster within the NBA and has expressed to the Lakers a need to discover the overall image of a partnership with certainly one of basketball’s winningest franchises, resources stated.
The pursuit of Hurley comes at the twentieth per annum of the Lakers seeking to rent Duke‘s Mike Krzyzewski to a record-breaking word in 2004. Krzyzewski elected to stay at Duke, however the shape has dramatically modified in school athletics, and the calls for of NIL fundraising for non-power-football faculties equivalent to UConn are a particularly relentless grind — and anticipated to turn out to be much more tricky.
As for the Lakers’ stars, LeBron James has been inspired with Hurley’s subtle offensive movements, and assuming he returns to Los Angeles in independent company, the potential for the use of the fifty fifth total draft pick out on USC freshman defend Bronny James makes Hurley an much more canny candidate. If that occurs, James will get a prospect to play games along with his son and the advantage of Hurley and his workforce changing into chargeable for Bronny’s professional building.
In a social media publish in April responding to a podcast interview with JJ Redick, James posted on X about Hurley: “He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their [offense]! Love it.”
The Lakers were dedicated to creating All-NBA ahead Anthony Davis an important a part of the dialog at the then head schoolmaster and need to build positive that he’s aligned with how a unused schoolmaster plans to attribute him on offense and protection, resources stated.
Los Angeles has proceeded with conversations with alternative applicants over the day few weeks, however the possibility of touchdown Hurley has been the focal point of the quest, resources stated.
A part of the attract of Hurley strains again to the converting terrain of NBA roster constructing beneath the collective bargaining pledge. On account of the roster-building obstacles of the unused 2nd apron, the power of big-market groups to create contending rosters by way of buying and selling a couple of draft alternatives and younger gamers for a 3rd megastar participant has in large part been eradicated. Past the seventeenth total pick out within the June draft, the Lakers have a tender core of Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Max Christie that control believes may just display even better development beneath Hurley’s training, resources stated.
Later traditionally dominant back-to-back nationwide identify seasons, Hurley has emerged as probably the most coveted schoolmaster within the game — and the potential for him depart UConn and the Heavy East for the Lakers has large implications for varsity basketball and the NBA. Hurley has built a juggernaut that has lapped the game, culminating with the NCAA’s first repeat champion in 17 years and a efficiency that produced the largest level differential in match historical past at 140 issues.
The potential for UConn profitable a 3rd instantly identify does loom with the go back of a preseason top-five staff, however the Huskies did lose two lottery alternatives (heart Donovan Clingan and defend Stephon Castle) and a first-team All-American level defend (Tristan Newton) to the NBA draft.
The Lakers pushed aside schoolmaster Darvin Ham later a first-round walk within the Western Convention playoffs. Ham was once 94-70 in two seasons, together with a commute to the Western Convention finals in 2023.
Hurley is 141-58 (.709) in six seasons as UConn schoolmaster. The son of Naismith Basketball Corridor of Reputation schoolmaster Bob Hurley Sr. — whom Hurley performed for at famed St. Anthony Top College of Jersey Town, Pristine Jersey — Dan Hurley spent 9 years as a highschool schoolmaster at St. Benedict’s Prep sooner than impulsively rebuilding school systems at Wagner and Rhode Island. His used brother, Bobby, is the pinnacle schoolmaster at Arizona State.
