UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley could have been coaching in the NBA today, but he turned down the opportunity to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024. Hurley reflected on that decision during an appearance on The Zach Lowe Show and revealed he first interacted with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka in 2023.
“I talked to [Pelinka] a year earlier about Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson, two guys on our 23 championship team,” Hurley said. “I talked to Rob on the phone for probably 15 or 20 minutes about those two guys.
“And I remember calling Kimani Young and Luke Murray and a couple of people around me after hanging up with Rob,” Hurley continued. “And saying, ‘Wow, I was really impressed by Pelinka with the Lakers.’ He was pretty detailed with the way he spoke about my guys.
“So then when that Lakers thing came up a year later, I had this baseline of respect for Rob,” Hurley added. “And that’s what got me excited about the possibility.”
Despite being intrigued by the possibility, Hurley rejected the Lakers’ six-year, $70 million offer and chose to stay at UConn. He revealed he had taken advice from many individuals, including Adrian Wojnarowski, before coming to that decision.
The Lakers would ultimately hire JJ Redick after Hurley turned them down. Redick had never even coached at the high school level, but he managed to have a fine rookie season. He led the Lakers to the third seed in the West with an impressive 50-32 record in 2024-25.
Having LeBron James on the roster certainly helped Redick, and he would get another big boost when the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic in February 2025. One wondered what Hurley was thinking when the news broke. He could have been the one coaching James and Doncic, not Redick.
Hurley revealed he has gotten some messages from people telling him just that. He has gotten a lot more, though, from Lakers fans who have relished in mocking him for the missed opportunity.
“A majority of it is Lakers fans direct messaging you that you’re the biggest moron, look how stupid you are,” Hurley stated. “… I’m sure they’ll respond to this, but I would say while we’re not having the season that I thought I was going to have at UConn, now that trade goes down, and yeah, I mean you’re getting a lot of those messages.
“But then your mind also probably goes there a little bit like, ‘Man, you could have coached LeBron and Luka on the same team,'” Hurley concluded.
Hurley had led UConn to back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024. They fell well short in their quest to three-peat, however, losing in the Round of 32 after finishing the 2024-25 season with a 24-11 record.
It’s only natural that Hurley started thinking about what might have been. James had even reached out to him and stated he’d have his support if he took the job.
Would Hurley have done a better job than Redick did with the Lakers last season? It’s hard to say. The Lakers certainly aren’t looking back at Hurley’s rejection with sorrow. Redick has shown he has the potential to be one of the better coaches in the NBA, and they back him to lead them to glory.
