The Los Angeles Lakers are widely regarded as the glitziest NBA franchise. It gets the most attention. But along with the fame and glamor is immense scrutiny from fans and rivals. One intriguing question about the Lakers, however, sounds counterintuitive to the very nature of the franchise.
Lakers' failed bid to hire Dan Hurley raises financial questions
The Lakers have money. After all, they are the third most valuable NBA franchise as of 2023, per Forbes.com. (They are just behind the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks on the list.) But many in the NBA are rumored to be questioning whether the Lakers ownership has the desire to spend money at a rate that would rival the competition.
“Many around the league look at the Lakers' primary ownership group and wonder if they can keep pace with the newer wave of billionaires investing in NBA franchises,” wrote Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
While the NBA is still governed by a salary cap, albeit with a plethora of exceptions for general managers and team executives can use to get around with, it is still often the team with the most money and the stomach to splurge, particularly on players, who win — at least on paper. For what it's worth, the Lakers have the eighth-highest active cap space in the NBA in the 2023-24 NBA campaign, per Spotrac.
There is no absolute correlation between money spent and NBA success, but a team's ability to lure a superstar (or coach for that matter) still largely depends on how much money a team can offer. That did not seem to apply to the Lakers' mission to lure Dan Hurley from the UConn Huskies to La La Land, as Hurley reportedly turned down Los Angeles' massive six-year offer worth $70 million.
Which brings some to question whether the Lakers are simply not willing to break the bank further to acquire targets.
The Lakers' perceived frugality appears to go beyond the Hurley saga.
“The general opinion around the league is that the Lakers have a very frugal front office,” Pincus wrote.
“The Clippers spare no expense with a massive staff, but the Lakers' sparse front office lacks common features, such as a pro personnel department. Outside of the scouting department for the draft, L.A. doesn't have scouts spread throughout the league watching NBA talent on a nightly basis in person like other franchises.”
Building a championship-winning club is more than just about money. Going back to Hurley rejecting the Lakers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN recently appeared to insinuate that the two-time NCAA champion head coach would still have not accepted Los Angeles' offer even if LA pushed more chips to the center of the table just to secure his nod.
“If Dan Hurley doesn't feel ready to make this leap [college to NBA], then I don't think it's a question of, well, keep offering more and more money until he says yes. Because that's not how you want to get someone,” Woj said.
“You want someone to come who feels ready. Not that you've offered them so much money, they feel like they have to take it. Then they get there and go, ‘What have I done?' And so I think Hurley wasn't quite there yet. The offer was significant. And now the Lakers, they go back and kind of resume this search.”
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