While everyone was starting to think JJ Redick was the clear frontrunner to fill the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coaching vacancy, a shocking twist started pointing to UConn’s Dan Hurley instead.
Now Hurley’s in the driver’s seat with the Lakers meeting with the two-time NCAA Champion this weekend, and contract negotiations are already starting to leak out.
According to Audacy’s Lakers insider Anthony F. Irwin, Los Angeles is prepared to present Hurley with an eight-year contract worth an estimated $100 million. If Hurley did reach the $100 million plateau, he’d land within the top five of the NBA’s highest-paid head coaches today.
Only Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, and Monty Williams would rank ahead of Hurley, who’s never coached at the NBA level before but is one of the nation’s most successful college basketball coaches.
Yet, after winning back-to-back championships, the Lakers might feel they need to make Hurley an offer he can’t refuse to leave behind the Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball program. Hurley has a phenomenal 141-58 record across six seasons at UConn, including four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
The Lakers have every intention of getting Hurley under contract this weekend, and if making him a life-altering contract offer is what it takes, Los Angeles’ ownership group appears prepared to pay the price.
Related: Top 10 coaching candidates to replace Dan Hurley with UConn Huskies