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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 09: Head Coach Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies reacts during the game against the Florida Gators at Madison Square Garden on December 09, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t been able to keep a head coach for longer than a few years since LeBron James joined the team in 2018, and after firing Darvin Ham in 2024, the franchise was out hunting for the best candidate available: Dan Hurley of the University of Connecticut.
While Hurley, a controversial coach in his own right, was coming off back-to-back national championships with UConn, he was approached by the Lakers to become their next head coach with James and Anthony Davis.
Hurley ended up turning down a reported six-year, $70 million contract to lead the Lakers, and the team instead hired JJ Redick for the position.
Still, speaking recently, Hurley said that he was close to accepting the offer, and revealed that one of his rivals played a key part in his decision-making to stay in the college ranks, instead of making the move to the NBA.
Dan Hurley Denied Lakers’ $70 Million Offer With Advice From Tom Izzo
In an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Hurley revealed that he consulted rival Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo for advice on whether to leave UConn and accept the Lakers’ head coaching offer.
“Coach Izzo, he walked me through just, you know, his thought process when he went through, like, you know, the decision-making of making that move to the NBA and the pros and cons,” Hurley said.
“The point that coach had made to me was you know, hey, I think you really got to consider our sport right now,” Hurley added. “You know it’s so unregulated. It’s such a mess. Coach has been there for me on lots of different things you know and I’ve studied coach for a long time like I have all the great coaches taking advice from all [them].”
Izzo had reportedly recieved NBA job offers from the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers in the past, according to the Associated Press. When asked about what he told Hurley from his perspective, the legendary Spartans head coach echoed a similar sentiment.
“I told him to seriously look at it because I could see where college basketball was going,” Izzo said. “But I said, I would hate to lose him because I think he’s all that is right about college basketball. He cares about the kids. He cares about the game. He has to care about the game because of his dad.”
While the six-year, $70 million offer was on the table back in 2024, Hurley ended up turning it down. Though he did admit it was intriguing, he ended up staying at UConn.
But while the Huskies had a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, they’ve since come back a lot stronger this year. Hurley and UConn did fall to St. John’s in the Big East tournament championship, but ended the regular season 32-5 and entered March Madness as a two seed.
They are set to play the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite 8 on Sunday, March 29, as he hopes to win his third national championship in the last four years, what would cap off one of the most successful runs in NCAA men’s basketball history.
Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick
As mentioned, the Lakers instead chose to hire Redick as head coach once Hurley turned down the offer.
It was Redick’s first head coaching position, and even up until recently, there were serious questions about whether he was the right man for the job.
In his first season in Los Angeles, the former Blue Devil and 15-year NBA veteran led the team to a 50-32 record, but they ended up losing in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, in February, the Lakers traded Davis for Luka Doncic, arguably the most shocking move in NBA history. While they didn’t see much postseason success in his first few months with the team, that has changed after he’s spent over a year in Southern California.
The Lakers had a so-so start to the 2025-26 campaign, but since the month of March, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the NBA, obviously led by Doncic’s MVP-level performances, but also with Redick in a much more comfortable position.
In late March, the Lakers are 48-26 and third in the West, likely to hold onto that spot for the postseason. While it is still unknown how deep of a playoff run they’ll go on with Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves led by Redick, they are on pace to beat their record from last season.
There are still a few teams with much better odds to win the NBA Finals this season, but at this point in the year, the Lakers look like they at least have a chance as title-contenders.
But while Los Angeles was keen on hiring Hurley for the job, Redick has been solid in his nearly two seasons leading the team.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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