What was once dubbed the most prestigious job in the league has now turned into a risky gamble. Recently, Dan Hurley turned down the Lakers’ $70 million, six-year contract for their head coaching position. This rejection has created a narrative around the league that the HC position in LA isn’t as desired as it was once thought to be. On a recent episode of Get Up, ESPN’s Zach Lowe confirmed this notion and doubled down in support of Hurley’s decision.
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Lowe even pointed out that the Lakers are a play-in team at best, quite far from the ‘Championship or bust’ franchise it used to be. Besides the job comes with a lot of added stress and pressure that isn’t just worth it for someone in Hurley’s position. So, it’s not surprising to the Senior ESPN writer that the UConn legend turned down their offer.
Lowe said, “He’s [Hurley is] the king of college basketball. The Lakers’ job is not that great of a job. They’re a play-in team pretty much every year, in a conference that is only getting better every year, all around them. From the bottom and the top and the middle, it’s a fight every year just to get just out of the play-in.”
"The Lakers job is not that great of a job. … You're not staring at a no-brainer championship window."
👀 @ZachLowe_NBA pic.twitter.com/CxhoFNchWK
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 11, 2024
On the other hand, Hurley now has the chance to lead the Huskies to a third straight NCAA title. Therefore, Lowe believes that by declining the $70 million offer, the veteran coach has set himself up for a better future at UConn. According to several reports, he has been offered a $50 million, six-year contract to continue coaching with the Huskies.
Besides, Lowe believes that getting involved with the Lakers isn’t going to be great for any coach for the next five to seven years. The Lakers are moving aimlessly at the moment as all their hopes are being shouldered by a superstar who will turn 40 next season.
Apart from LeBron James, the LA side has not invested in any player who will show up for them in the upcoming seasons. Lowe said, “We’re not that far away from the Lakers being a straight up bad team for five or six years.”
However, even with the embarrassment that the Lakers have experienced in the last week, Lowe is confident that they will eventually find a suitable coach.
JJ Redick is back in the equation
In a league that is driven by superstars, it is important to ensure that the biggest name on the roster is comfortable playing under the next head coach. If they managed to get Hurley to take the offer, the rest of the process would’ve been smooth for the Lakers franchise.
In April of this year, LeBron reacted to a clip of the UConn coach explaining how he built the Huskies offense to JJ Redick with, “He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their O! Love it.”
He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their O! Love it
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 19, 2024
However, now that it’s clear that he won’t be taking up the job in LA, LeBron’s good friend and the previous front runner for the job, Redick is back into the equation.
Following the news of Hurley turning down the offer, several fans on the internet speculated that now the only legitimate HC option for the Lakers is going to be LeBron’s co-host for Mind the Game Pod, former NBA star JJ Redick.
