Tommy Lloyd buyout details at Arizona won’t keep UNC from knocking twice

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the biggest fish swimming in the college basketball hiring pool this year. Big enough, perhaps, to devour another big fish's biggest asset. According to Jeff Goodman, Arizona's Tommy Lloyd is “at the top of the list” for the Tar Heels. Landing Lloyd would mean paying a multi-million-dollar buyout, but that shouldn't be an issue for the movers and shakers at Chapel Hill.

Lloyd's buyout is $11 million, according to Jon Rothstein. That's one of the bigger ones in college basketball, but not quite at the level of Florida head coach Todd Golden. He'd need $16 million.

Is Tommy Lloyd's buyout a problem for North Carolina?

The Tar Heels are already on the hook for $5.3 million — the buyout owed to former head coach Hubert Davis. Boosters may have deep pockets, but being on the hook for $16 million in buyouts isn't something anyone prefers. And that's before factoring in the money that will be needed to present Lloyd with a suitably desirable contract offer.

Lloyd is making $5.3 million per year at Arizona, and the Wildcats are likely going to try to improve on that to keep him. North Carolina can't cheap out if they want to make him a Tar Heel.

Highest-paid head coaches in college basketball

1. Bill Self, Kansas — $8.8 million
2. John Calipari, Arkansas — $8 million
3. Dan Hurley, UConn — $7.78 million
4. Todd Golden, Florida — $6.75 million
5. Tom Izzo, Michigan State — $6.2 million

If Lloyd doesn't get at or above Dan Hurley's $7 million level, then he's selling himself short. There's a world where he comes out of this hiring cycle as the highest-paid head coach in the country. That's what happens when two legendary programs are fighting over you.

So there's a significant amount of money at play. But is it a problem? It shouldn't be. Not for a program like UNC with championship aspirations and, most critically, expectations. You don't win titles unless you're willing to invest. The ultimate investment is a winning head coach, no matter the cost.

What is the biggest hurdle to hiring Tommy Lloyd?

The frustrating part of UNC's pursuit of Lloyd is how much isn't in their control. They can offer Lloyd a lucrative salary and promise all sorts of investment in the roster, but that isn't the only thing that moves the needle.

ESPN's Fran Fraschilla argued on social media that "there is no better job for Tommy Lloyd than Arizona."

What Fraschilla thinks about Arizona as a job isn't relevant, but what Lloyd thinks does. Has a "basketball weekend" in Tucson left enough of an impression on the head coach to give him pause about leaving?

Lloyd has spent his entire life in the West. He was born in Washington, played college ball in Washington with a brief sojourn as far east as Colorado State-Pueblo. He spent 20 years at Gonzaga. North Carolina is a prestigious program, but his world has revolved closer to Western powers like Arizona, UCLA and Gonzaga. What would mean more to him, bringing titles to Arizona or North Carolina?

To Fraschilla's point, Lloyd knows what the energy around Arizona basketball can be. He's spent five years immersed in the McKale Center. He has never played or coached at the Dean Dome. He hasn't had the chance to be charmed by Chapel Hill or UNC fans.

North Carolina is going to have to accelerate that process, starting with giving Lloyd a financial offer that captures his attention, then sealing the deal with the power of the Tar Heel brand.

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