Making the jump from college basketball to the NBA can be quite difficult. Recent head honchos like Brad Stevens and Billy Donovan needed to find their footing first prior to experiencing any sort of success. Now, that dilemma is starting to creep up on Dan Hurley as he decides between UConn basketball and the Los Angeles Lakers. He could try to run it back in March Madness next year or help the Anthony Davis and LeBron James-led squad win their 18th banner.

While there has been no decision yet, a big update was dropped in this saga.

UConn basketball head coach gives a deadline

Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley celebrates after winning the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament against the Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Stadium.
© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Hurley is set to make his decision on Monday, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The current coach of the UConn basketball program has reportedly been offered a huge chunk of money to stay with the Huskies. It will make him one of the highest-paid head honchos of all time in college basketball. In the same breath, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers have also offered him a contract with nearly the same financial terms. Surely, the decision will be hard.

There are two competing interests here for Dan Hurley. First is his legacy with UConn basketball. He has been very adamant and vocal in his pursuit of a third-straight national title for the program. His desire to win it all was even outlined a few days before the Lakers made an offer. Hurley raised three fingers during UFC 302 to signify his desire.

But, the Lakers have seen this situation before. Exactly 20 years ago, they tried to lure Mike Krzyzewski out of the Duke basketball program to get him as the head honcho for the Kobe Bryant-led squad. As history would tell, that did not work out too well for the Purple and Gold. The Blue Devils got to keep the architect of their dynasty until he retired.

Lakers' advantage

On the other hand, Hurley has made it clear that one of his biggest dreams is to coach in the NBA. This opportunity laid out in front of him by the Lakers might be one of the few shots he gets. A significant part of the league awaits his decision. Even LeBron James outlined his desire to land the UConn basketball mastermind because of reportedly one big reason.

“As for the Lakers' stars, LeBron James has been impressed with Hurley's sophisticated offensive actions, and assuming he returns to L.A. in free agency, the possibility of using the 55th overall draft pick on USC freshman guard Bronny James makes Hurley an even more intriguing candidate. If that happens, James gets a chance to play with his son and the benefit of Hurley and his staff becoming responsible for Bronny's pro development,” the renowned NBA insider wrote.

There are a lot of things to factor in before Hurley makes his choice to transition to the NBA. One of which is the roster that will be coming back to UConn basketball to pursue the three-peat. He will get Alex Karaban back but guys like Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, and Tristen Newton are all electing to go to professional leagues. If he does need to rebuild from the ground up, maybe it is the perfect time for him to join James and Anthony Davis in the Lakers system.