Lakers Targeting UConn’s Dan Hurley as Their Next Coach, per Report

UConn's men's basketball coach Dan Hurley announced on Monday that he would not be leaving for the NBA, despite the reported six-year, $70 million contract he was offered by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rather than make the jump to the NBA, Hurley has instead chosen to remain in Storrs, Conn. and pursue a third consecutive national championship with the Huskies.

Hurley issued a statement on Monday afternoon, in which he detailed his decision to stay at UConn.

"I am humbled by this entire experience. At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut. We met as a team before today's workout and our focus right now is getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships," wrote Hurley in a statement shared by UConn's Men's Basketball on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Hurley reportedly met with the Lakers' front office over the weekend and listened to their pitch, but despite calling it a "compelling vision," it ultimately wasn't enough to sway him to abandon what he's built in Storrs. After winning back-to-back national titles, the Huskies will now look to join UCLA as the only program in history to win three in a row.

UConn signed Hurley to a six-year, $32.1 million extension after the 2022-23 season. That's less than half of what he reportedly would've made in Los Angeles, though he could be in line for a new deal following his decision to return to the university.

Stunning news in the basketball world was announced on Thursday morning and it had nothing to do with Game 1 of the NBA Finals which is set for tonight.

At 6:50 am et, Adrian Wojnarowski announced the Los Angeles Lakers are targeting UConn head coach, Dan Hurley, to become their team's next coach.

Hurley is fresh off leading the UConn Huskies to back-to-back National Championships, which hadn't been done in men's college basketball since Florida achieved the feat in 2006-2007. After their first championship in 2023, Hurley signed a six-year, $31.1 million contract with the school.

As a result of the news, the Huskies' odds to three-peat in 2025 have taken a dramatic hit.

Odds listed below are via FanDuel Sportsbook

Before the Woj Bomb dropped this morning, UConn was set as the co-favorite alongside the Kansas Jayhawks to win the 2025 National Championship at +1000. As of writing this article, they have fallen to fourth on the odds list at +1400 behind Kansas (+1000), Duke (+1200), and Arizona (+1200).

If you translate the odds to implied probability, their chance of a 2025 National Championship fell from 9.09% to 6.67%, a fall of 2.42% which is a significant drop in the futures market with the season still months away.

The signing has yet to be made official therefore there's still a chance Hurley returns to UConn. Wojnarowski followed up the original tweet with another one saying;

"The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and sides are planning to escalate discussions in coming days. Hurley’s been at the forefront of the Lakers’ search from the beginning of the process, even while the organization has done its due diligence interviewing other candidates."

If the signing is finalized and made official, don't be surprised if UConn's odds for a threepeat, something that hasn't been done since UCLA from 1967-1973, continue to drop.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.