Lakers' D'Angelo Russell Posts Cryptic Emoji Amid Dan Hurley HC Rumors

D'Angelo Russell has heard the rumors.

The Lakers guard tweeted a cryptic emoji Thursday amid rumors of UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley leaving Storrs for Los Angeles.

The Lakers are reportedly set to make a "massive offer" to Hurley, who is the overwhelming favorite to land the job, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. John Fanta of Fox Sports reported Hurley addressed UConn players Thursday morning and confirmed he is in talks with the Lakers.

Hurley has led UConn to back-to-back national championships, rebuilding the program to a national powerhouse in just five seasons. The 51-year-old previously coached at Wagner and Rhode Island at the college level after cutting his teeth at the high school level with St. Benedict's Prep.

Before Thursday's blockbuster report, the Lakers were seemingly focusing their search on former NBA guard and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick. The rising media star has been open about his desire to coach and has been cryptic when asked about the Lakers job in recent days.

Redick has no coaching experience beyond the youth level but was looking to become the latest former NBA player to jump straight to a head-coaching job. Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr are among the names who successfully made the transition.

Hurley, by contrast, has no NBA experience of any sort. He's known as a hard-nosed, brash coach whose style could grate with professionals over an 82-game schedule.

Still, it appears Russell—a potential free agent himself—is intrigued by the idea of playing for Hurley.