The end of the Los Angeles Lakers’ surprise Dan Hurley pursuit was as abrupt as the start of their courtship. For a while, the media firestorm surrounding the potential hiring had fans wondering what Hurley coaching LeBron James and Anthony Davis against NBA-caliber opposition would look like.
However, those thoughts would remain as fantasies as the back-to-back NCAA Men’s Basketball champion coach decided to stay with the Huskies. Sources claim his decision wasn’t an easy one as he mulled over the pros and cons of making the jump to one of the most volatile seats in pro basketball.
Since many thought Hurley joining the Purple and Gold was all but a done deal, it seems like his decision to stay in Storrs was a move to save his career and prepare his bank account for even better things.
NBA fans react to Dan Hurley rejecting the Los Angeles Lakers’ multi-year offer
Fans and analysts predicted Hurley would get a $100 million contract from the Purple and Gold to pry him away from the outstanding program he’s created. However, it’s clear that the team only offered a slightly larger contract than the Kentucky Wildcats’ offer when they tried to pry him away.
With such an offer, fans and analysts immediately got onto social media to clown on the Lakers’ hesitation to offer Hurley money when he was the one in control of the entire negotiation.
Dan Hurley when the Lakers didn’t offer $100 million pic.twitter.com/FMZMxEpWbF
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) June 10, 2024
That 6yr $70M contract for Dan Hurley doesn’t scream all in for me 🤷🏾♂️
— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) June 10, 2024
The University of Kentucky also reportedly pursued Dan Hurley this offseason to become their head coach.
Kentucky’s offer was $11 million per year to become the highest paid coach in college basketball.
The Lakers decided to offer Hurley $11.6 million to see if he would jump at… pic.twitter.com/vilXEPAPum
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 10, 2024
Hurley had total control over the contract negotiations as the Los Angeles Lakers desperately needed to find a coach who could help the team win within one season. Since almost everyone was certain the organization could offer more than what they eventually went with, it was clear that the Purple and Gold fumbled the bag.
There are still other head coaching candidates the Lakers could pursue, but missing out on Hurley is probably going to cost LeBron his fifth NBA ring.
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