The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly targeting Dan Hurley to become the franchise's next head coach. As per NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the UConn Huskies coach is one of the favorites to replace Darvin Ham.
Last week, five-time NBA champion Magic Johnson shared his views about Hurley potentially becoming the new Lakers HC on X.
"I heard the great news that Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss and GM/VP of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka have had conversations with back-to-back NCAA champion and current UCONN Head Coach, Dan Hurley, about becoming the next Lakers Head Coach!" Magic Johnson tweeted.
"I'm so excited and thrilled! This would be a game changer for the Lakers organization, LeBron, AD, the rest of the Laker players, Laker Nation and the NBA! Coach Hurley can coach his butt off lol."
Hurley won back-to-back national titles with the Huskies, becoming the first head coach since Billy Donovan achieved the feat with Florida in 2007.
The Lakers are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer for Hurley as per reports. He is known for connecting with his players, focusing on team-oriented pass-first basketball and developing young talent.
There have been many coaches linked with the Lakers. Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori and JJ Redick were favorites.
Will Dan Hurley be a good fit for the Lakers?
Dan Hurley is a highly reputed coach in college basketball. Last season, Hurley guided the Huskies to 37 wins, a Big East season title, a Big East tournament championship and the school's first-ever No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
He has an incredible 141-58 record in six seasons and won the Naismith Coach of the Year and Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 2024. Hurley also coached Rhode Island for six years and Wagner for two years.
At Wagner, Hurley had a 38-23 record while at Rhode Island, Hurley managed a 113-82 record. Furthermore, he led Rhode Island to a conference tournament championship in the 2016-17 season and a regular-season championship in the 2017-18 season.
While coaching in the NBA will be an entirely different ball game from coaching college teams, with the experience and the success he achieved, Hurley can be the right man for the job.
Do you see the Lakers hiring Dan Hurley as their head coach?
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