With Dan Hurley turning down the Lakers, coaching job could go to someone with Philly ties
Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley turned down a six-year, $70 million contract, according to ESPN.
With University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley reportedly turning down the Los Angeles Lakers job, it looks like a couple of TV analysts with Philly ties might be in line for the position.
Former 76ers shooter turned ESPN NBA announcer JJ Redick has long been linked to the Lakers job, which remains vacant more than a month after the team fired Darvin Ham following two seasons. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported last week that the Lakers were “zeroing in” on Redick, who currently cohosts the Mind the Game podcast with Lakers star LeBron James.
Redick is also in the middle of calling the NBA Finals on ESPN between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, and has declined to say much about the potential of coaching the Lakers.
”My focus right now is on calling the NBA Finals,” Redick told Gojo and Golic father-son duo Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. “In terms of Shams, that will be addressed once the season is over. I’ll just say that.”
Marc Stein wrote in his Sunday newsletter that he was told by “one well-placed insider” that former Villanova coach Jay Wright could emerge as “a stealth candidate.” Wright is an unlikely candidate, as he is currently a college basketball analyst for CBS and has repeatedly said he’s happy on TV and not interested in a return to coaching.
Maybe the “massive” offer the Lakers reportedly made to Hurley — $70 million over six years, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski — might be enough to convince Wright to coach again. A college coach his entire career, including 21 seasons leading Villanova, Wright nearly jumped ship to the Sixers during Ed Stefanski’s tenure as general manager from 2007-11. He said during a 2023 interview on 94.1 WIP that it was “as close as I had ever been” to coaching in the NBA.
CBS did not return a request to comment. Wright could not be reached Monday.
There’s also former Sixers assistant coach Sam Cassell, who joined the Boston Celtics last year and has already spoken with the Lakers, according to Wojnarowski. The Lakers have also spoken with Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman and former Charlotte Hornets head coach and current New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Wojnarowski reported.