NBA Rumors: Lakers Eye UConn's Dan Hurley for 'Massive' HC Contract amid Redick Buzz

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly in hot pursuit of UConn head men's basketball coach Dan Hurley in hopes of making him the franchise's next head coach.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are preparing to present Hurley with a "massive, long-term contract offer."

Hurley, who has won back-to-back national championships at the University of Connecticut, would replace Darvin Ham, who was fired after two seasons as Lakers head coach.

L.A.'s pursuit of Hurley comes on the heels of Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reporting Tuesday that the Lakers were "zeroing in" on former NBA guard JJ Redick as the "front-runner" to be named head coach.

At the time, Charania added: "No final decision has been made yet, and the Lakers still have steps remaining in their head-coaching search process, league sources said. But the indications are strong that Redick is their leading choice at this stage."

Per Wojnarowski, preliminary discussions have taken place between Hurley and the Lakers, and Hurley has always been "at the forefront" of the organization's head coaching search while it has spoken to other candidates.

In addition to Redick, who has never coached at any level, the Lakers have reportedly also spoken to other more experienced coaching candidates, including Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman and former Charlotte Hornets head coach and current New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego.

Wojnarowski noted that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss are "eager to formally discuss" their vision of "marrying [Hurley's] dominant program with the storied Lakers brand."

Likewise, Hurley has reportedly "expressed to the Lakers a desire to explore the full picture of a partnership," and has made it clear in the past that he would like to coach in the NBA one day.

If he makes the leap to the Lakers, Hurley will join an organization that lost to the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals in 2023 and then fell to the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs this season.

Their talent is undeniable, as LeBron James and Anthony Davis lead the way, and are surrounded by some quality role players, including Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent.

Although it is expected that LeBron will remain with the Lakers, he does have the ability to decline his player option for next season and test free agency if he so chooses.

Making a big hire like Hurley would perhaps be enough to convince James to stay, though, as Wojnarowski reported that LeBron "has been impressed with Hurley's sophisticated offensive actions."

James even posted on X in April about his admiration for Hurley's coaching in response to a clip of Redick interviewing Hurley:

Staying at UConn would allow Hurley to pursue the first national title three-peat in Division I men's college basketball since UCLA won seven in a row from 1967 to 1973.

However, with several key Huskies players set to enter the NBA via the draft, including Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, it would be a tough climb back to the top.

The same applies to the Lakers, but with James and Davis leading the way, Hurley could be the missing ingredient to take the Purple and Gold back to championship glory.