A top NBA insider suggests that Dan Hurley may have used the Los Angeles Lakers as leverage in his contract negotiations with Connecticut but still accepted tens of millions less to return to the college program.
Heading into the weekend, multiple reports indicated that the Lakers and UConn coach Dan Hurley had a face-to-face meeting and were likely to agree on a deal for him to become the franchise’s new coach. The Lakers were expected to offer a substantial contract, reportedly six years and $70 million.
However, on Monday it was revealed that Hurley had turned down the offer to lead the popular NBA team and would return to attempt a three-peat with the Huskies. The decision has puzzled many but there is more clarity coming out on the situation and it seems the discussions may have all been used to land a bigger contract with UConn.
“Dan Hurley chose not to leave. He chose to stay for $20 million less at UConn. They did go up significantly from his current deal, but it is $20 million less,” Shams Charania said during a Tuesday appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back. “And you look at the Lakers job, what it is known for, the big-time-ness of it and he still decided to stay at UConn.
It does beg the question around the league: Was there genuine interest or was this simply about leverage? The Lakers are two and a half weeks out from the NBA Draft, three weeks away from free agency, and no coach yet.”
There had been rumblings in recent days that the New York Knicks job would be the dream spot for Hurley, and the fact that he turned down a massive offer from one of the most famous sports franchises in the world says a lot, and it is not good for the Los Angeles Lakers.
