NBA Rumors: LeBron Told Lakers to Hire Best HC 'for the Next Decade' amid Hurley Buzz

LeBron James may only have one or two years remaining in his NBA career, but he's looking out for the Los Angeles Lakers' long-term future.

James reportedly told the Lakers to focus on hiring a coach who can lead the franchise into the "next decade" in their search to replace Darvin Ham.

"When LeBron met with the Lakers to talk about the head-coaching searching, what he told them was 'Don't make a decision based on me for this next year or two. Make the best decision that you can make for the Lakers franchise for the next decade,'" ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Thursday on Get Up.

"That was the message and it wasn't hire JJ Redick. It wasn't hire this guy over here. It was make the best decision for the franchise. That was what he's been standing on and has been related for actually longer than just this search but that's what he told them. This potential hire is not about the 2024-25 Lakers. Yes, he would come in and there would be expectations that he could hopefully, if this happens, improve them and work with LeBron but this would be something that they'd be investing in for a long period of time post-LeBron, Anthony Davis, players that are not even on their map right now."

The Lakers are preparing a "massive offer" for UConn coach Dan Hurley to take over the franchise, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Hurley has reportedly had preliminary talks with Lakers management, and the two sides are planning to "escalate" negotiations in the coming days.

UConn has won back-to-back national championships under Hurley, who has no NBA coaching or playing experience. He spent a decade as a high school coach at St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey before stints at Wagner, Rhode Island and UConn at the collegiate level.

Overall, Hurley is 292-163 as a college head coach.

News of Hurley's involvement in the search came as a shock Thursday morning, as it seemed like ESPN analyst and former NBA guard JJ Redick was the overwhelming favorite for the job.

Redick did little to quell the rumors, either, saying he'd address his future after broadcasting the NBA Finals.

This is clearly a situation where wires got crossed along the way. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Tuesday that the Lakers were "zeroing in" on Redick as their next head coach.

It's possible Hurley was the Lakers' top choice all along, and they simply did not believe he'd be interested in leaving UConn, so Redick became their second choice.

Regardless, it's clear the front office is taking a long-term view with this coaching hire. Neither of their seeming top-two choices have a lick of NBA coaching experience. Hurley is known as a program builder at the college level, not someone who cobbles together stars at a moment's notice to microwave success. Redick is a fantastic basketball mind but is bound to have growing pains when and if he becomes an NBA head coach.

Given James is approaching his 40th birthday, it is—at the very least—curious he'd be so keen on a longer-term option on the Lakers bench.