Lakers insider reveals Dan Hurley could receive ‘ballpark’ of $100M

Los Angeles Lakers insider Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily reported on Friday that the Lakers are prepared to offer Dan Hurley a deal worth up to $100 million over eight years to leave the University of Connecticut and be the franchise’s 29th head coach.

The purported deal would make Hurley the fifth highest-paid NBA head coach per season at around $12.5 million and would be the second-largest total commitment to a head coach in NBA history behind the Miami Heat’s eight-year, $120 million pact with Erik Spoelstra. 

Dan Hurley has proven everything in college 

Hurley has had immense success in the college ranks and is coming off leading UConn to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024. He is the second coach of the 21st century to lead an NCAA-I program to consecutive national titles after Billy Donovan in 2006 and 2007 with the University of Florida and the seventh ever.  

Before helming UConn, his first major collegiate job came in 2012-13 when he took over a 7-24 University of Rhode Island. Over the course of six seasons, he built the program back up and left them following a 26-8 record. However, Hurley has no NBA experience as a coach or player.

Should he land a contract in the vicinity of eight-years, $100 million, it will be the richest deal, by a significant margin, for a first-time NBA head coach. 

The timeline of the Lakers head coaching search

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who first broke the news of the Lakers’ interest in Hurley, the two sides will meet Friday, June 7 in Los Angeles to discuss the parameters of a deal. Hurley reportedly notified UConn’s administration Wednesday of his interest in the job and informed his players the following day. According to sources, the Lakers are highly motivated to close a deal, with both vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss expected to be present at the meeting. 

The timeline of the Lakers’ pursuit of Hurley remains murky. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported only days ago that ESPN NBA color commentator and podcast host JJ Redick was the front runner for the job, with sources saying the Lakers were “infatuated” with Redick. However, despite Redick’s 15-season NBA career, he has never coached above the youth ranks. The Hurley news broke shortly after Redick was the presumed future Lakers coach, with Wojnarowski reporting Hurley had been at the forefront of the Lakers coaching search from the start. 

Is Dan Hurley the answer to the Lakers’ coaching carousel?

The Los Angeles Lakers have gone through seven head coaches since Phil Jackson retired following the 2010-11 season, with no coach lasting more than three seasons. The franchise’s decision to target one of the most respected collegiate coaches and offer him an eight-year contract suggests a new line of thinking that favors long term stability on the sidelines. 

For as much success as Hurley has had in building up collegiate programs, he is completely unproven in the NBA. The Lakers reportedly are attracted to his tactical acumen and ability to develop talent. However, the team he would inherit is still built around LeBron James, 39, and Anthony Davis, 31, two fully-developed stars still yearning for another championship run.  

Dan Hurley is undoubtedly a fantastic college coach and many of his strengths should translate to the NBA. That being said, handing the second-largest contract ever to a coach without an NBA track record would be a massive gamble. It may pay off, but if it doesn’t, it won’t just cost the Lakers money, it’ll likely cost them the remainder of LeBron James and Anthony Davis’s primes.