It's been three days since ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski stunned the basketball world with the report that the Los Angeles Lakers were making a serious push to lure UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley away from the program he's won back-to-back National Championships with. Woj noted that the Lakers were prepared to make Hurley “a massive, long-term offer,” which the University of Connecticut would be unlikely to be able to match. Since those initial reports, the speculation is the Lakers are prepared to offer Hurley a deal worth up to $100 million.
Over the weekend, Dan Hurley flew to LA to meet face-to-face with Lakers management to discuss the parameters of a potential deal. Sources said that Hurley was still 50-50 on the decision. After taking the time to meet with the Lakers, Hurley was back on the east coast, and his whereabouts have since raised some eyebrows.
On Saturday night, Dan Hurley was at Madison Square Garden — a place he feels very comfortable — with his wife Andrea and UConn assistant coach Luke Murray, taking in the sights and sounds of music icon Billy Joel, who will be playing his 150th and final show at MSG later this summer.
For all we know, this could mean absolutely nothing. It could have no bearing on Dan Hurley's upcoming decision. The tickets could've been purchased well before he was considering leaving UConn for LA. But then again, it doesn't hurt to follow the breadcrumbs, right?
It was Jake Peralta, Andy Samberg's character on the hit comedy series Brooklyn 99 who famously noted that, “once you Joel together, you're bonded for life.” Now whether this is true of Dan Hurley and his fellow UConn coach remains to be seen, but for now, it provides the tiniest bit of hope for this UConn fan who thinks leaving Storrs for Hollywood would be a poor decision.
What's next for UConn and Dan Hurley?
Well, only time will tell. Since the news broke that Dan Hurley and the Lakers were having discussions, the University of Connecticut has made a renewed offer to Hurley, according to college hoops insider Jeff Goodman. But again, what UConn could offer pales in comparison to the amount of money that the Lakers could throw Hurley's way. Money won't be the only deciding factor, however. What Dan Hurley's wife Andrea and his father, Bob Hurley Sr., have to say about a potential move will reportedly factor in to the decision.
Early Sunday morning, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times tweeted that, “Dan Hurley and the @UConnMBB staff have not reached out to their 2024 recruits to let them know either way what his plans are,” but that there is reportedly a staff meeting scheduled for today. The Lakers made it clear that they wanted to ink Hurley to a deal as quickly as possible, and for UConn too, it would probably be favorable for this saga not to drag on much further.
No matter what Dan Hurley decides, his choice will end up on the front page, bold type. It's just a matter of if he's moving up and moving out, or if he's still in a New York (and UConn) state of mind.
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