Reports: Dan Hurley rejects Lakers’ contract offer, remaining with UConn

Jun 10, 2024, 11:01 AM

Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies reacts in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

UConn head men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley, the younger brother of Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley, turned down a six-year, $70 million offer to lead the Los Angeles Lakers, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Hurley was the primary target for the Lakers in their search for a new head coach and met with them over the weekend to hear their pitch before deciding to remain at UConn, according to multiple reporters.

Hurley and UConn are currently in extension negotiations that Hurley addressed last Wednesday. Wojnarowski adds a contract offer from the Huskies was already on the table and will make him one of college basketball’s highest-paid coaches as he pursues a third national championship.

Wojnarowski adds Hurley and the Lakers had held preliminary talks leading up to this past weekend. The UConn coach has been the No. 1 target as the team has met with others, such as former NBA player J.J. Redick and former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego.

Since the final buzzer sounded with the Huskies winning the championship in April, Hurley, 51, has been adamant about returning and staying at UConn for the longhaul.

UConn had so far survived keeping Hurley despite overtures from the likes of Kentucky, which was seeking to replace John Calipari after his move to Arkansas.

“My answer to that (Kentucky interest) was ‘no.’ I’m the head coach at the best program in the country,” Hurley told The Dan Patrick Show in April. “Why would I leave the best program in the country even if another place is really good or great? But your agent wants you to try to deflect.

“You want to reward your staff, you want to increase the resources in your program. So your agent is kind of telling you: ‘Don’t say you’re interested but don’t say no because I’ve got to deal with the UConn people.’”

Los Angeles fired second-year head coach Darvin Ham after a first-round playoff exit this year.

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