Report: Star Coach Rejected Lakers’ Huge “Hail Mary” Offer of $70 Million
JJ Redick is the new leader of the Los Angeles Lakers, but the franchise worked hard to bring in UConn star head coach Dan Hurley. Hurley reportedly rejected a substantial six-year, $70 million offer from the Lakers, according to reports from Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Hurley is expected to have a deal for roughly $20 million less than Los Angeles’ offer, even with a raise from the Huskies.
In contrast, Redick reportedly signed a four-year contract worth an estimated $32 million, according to NBA insiders. According to The Athletic, there were many in the Lakers organization who saw Hurley’s offer as a last-ditch effort to find a coach.
Hurley left Los Angeles after being offered a six-year, $70 million contract, according to league sources briefed on the matter,” Charania, Amick and Buha detailed in a June 20, 2024 story titled, “Inside the Lakers’ decision to hire JJ Redick and how he shapes their future.” “He returned home to Connecticut to mull his decision while the basketball world waited.
“On June 10, he announced he was staying with the Huskies. Hurley’s new contract with UConn is expected to make him the highest-paid coach in college basketball — six years and upwards of $50 million, league sources said.”
Since rejecting the Lakers’ offer, Hurley has repeatedly squashed the notion that he used Los Angeles as leverage to improve his UConn deal. During a June 20 interview on Hurley admitted there was a moment when he believed he was going to take the Lakers job.
“I think yeah, absolutely. I think I wouldn’t have considered it unless I thought it was something real for me,” Hurley said of the Lakers’ offer. “I don’t like distractions. I don’t like ’em in my program. We keep our distractions limited. It was a very uncomfortable situation for me.
“Like I would much prefer to just be in the gym. I’m a pretty simple guy. Even though I draw a lot of attention. You know, because of the way I coach and the way I may interact with [a] fan postgame, particularly on the road, if I don’t like what they’re saying. Like I bring a lot of [attention],” Hurley continued.
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