Pennies Pinched: Lakers officially dropped the ball with Dan Hurley pursuit

The Los Angeles Lakers' all-out, weeklong pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley ended in disappointment when he declined a six-year, $70 million offer to lead LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the NBA's most prestigious franchise.

At the time, it wasn't difficult to understand why Hurley turned the Lakers down. It's not like $70 million is chump change, but it's also not resetting the market. He's due for a lucrative new contract at UConn, and there's only one place where he can pursue a historic three-peat. Hurley owns the college basketball world right now, and he's well within reason to spurn Los Angeles in favor of being Storrs royalty.

Hurley very clearly loves UConn and treasures the unique opportunity he has to etch his name in the history books. The Huskies' roster will look vastly different next season — Alex Karaban is the only returning starter — but with five-star freshman Liam McNeeley en route and a solid transfer class on the horizon, one has to believe UConn can mount another deep run.

That said, Hurley was very open about his interest in the Lakers job in a recent appearance on the Dan Le Batard Show. He did not dance around the financial implications of Los Angeles' offer, and admitted that more money probably could have pried him away from UConn. He did not provide a specific number, though.

Dan Hurley admits he would have left UConn for Lakers if LA offered more money

This is basically a siren call to every other NBA team with a coach on the hot seat. Hurley will be back in UConn in pursuit of a three-peat in 2024, but that won't preclude NBA front offices from knocking on his door once the next coaching cycle commences. Some teams are a bit more liquid than LA financially. We saw the Detroit Pistons hand Monty Williams $78.5 million. This probably isn't the last time Hurley considers an NBA job.

It's worth noting how poor the Lakers' offer really was compared to Hurley's setup in Storrs. When taking into account the difference in cost of living between LA and Storrs, the Lakers' proposed contract doesn't even qualify as a raise. Hurley gets to take home more cash in UConn, and he's viewed as the top dog in his profession — not somebody who is immediately under the microscope as a fickle LA front office tries to squeeze the most out of the remaining LeBron years.

The Lakers' pitch was rooted in the inherent appeal of coaching ~The Los Angeles Lakers~ and sure, that is very much a real thing. There is an undeniable history attached to the Lakers organization and there are privledges to coaching in the NBA instead of college. But, Los Angeles doesn't exactly have the sexiest job offer on paper when you strip away the surface-level pizzazz. LeBron is close to retirement, the front office is oftentimes incompetent, and there's no real indication that the current group can actually contend.

Hurley is a brilliant basketball mind, and he probably would have drawn up some impressive actions for LeBron and AD. His player development skills are rather obvious, and he definitely would have positioned LA better for the long run. But, if the Lakers really wanted to lure him away from a cushy job at UConn, where he is beloved and acclaimed by all, they needed to come with a serious financial offer. Not everybody wants the Lakers job just because it's the Lakers.