Future Hall of Famer LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers could soon have a new head coach. General manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss are meeting Friday with UConn head man Dan Hurley.
Hurley’s status as a candidate for vacancy was reported on Thursday. It came completely out of left field, with JJ Redick previously seen as the favorite to land in Southern California.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that the Lakers would like to get a deal done this weekend.
“Dan Hurley, I am told, is on his way to meet with the Lakers tomorrow. He’ll sit down with Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss,” report on Los Angeles Lakers and Dan Hurley. “They will start to dig into what a Hurley-Lakers partnership would look like. The Lakers would love to get a deal with Dan Hurley wrapped up this weekend. I expect these talks will move quickly. There is a lot of traction here between Hurley and the Lakers.”
A report on Friday suggested that it was a 50-50 proposition.
A hire of this ilk would be universally supported given Hurley’s success with the Huskies. He just led UConn to back-to-back national championships.
But at least one former LeBron James teammate is not sold on it. J. R. Smith took to social media on Friday to warn Hurley about taking the gig in Los Angeles. “Don’t fall for it,” Smith wrote.
Related: 10 candidates to replace Dan Hurley at UConn
Why is J.R. Smith chiming in on Dan Hurley, Los Angeles Lakers?
It must be noted that Smith was coached by Hurley at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey from 2002-04. He earned McDonald’s All-American honors. This helped Smith get selected by the then-New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft.
We’re not sure why Smith is warning Hurley.
What we do know is that he suited up with LeBron James in Cleveland for four seasons from 2014-18. That span saw the Cavaliers earn four trips to the NBA Finals and a Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Smith also spent part of the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season with James and the Lakers, earning another NBA championship in the process.
Is his warning about King James? Perhaps, Smith is looking at the Lakers’ organization as a whole.
At this point, we have absolutely no idea.
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