UConn submitted a new contract offer to keep Dan Hurley as head coach, but a source close to the athletic department tells Adam Zagoria of NJ.com that the school cannot afford to engage in a bidding war with the Lakers. Hurley travelled to Los Angeles on Friday to speak with team officials, and he is expected to weigh his options over the weekend before making a decision. According to reports, one of them will be a university offer that would place him as the NCAA’s third-highest-paid coach.
“We want to pay him certainly what he’s worth, but there’s a limit to how far we can actually go just because of the political pressures and all of that,” a source told Zagoria. “Even though everybody wants him to stay, and everybody’s behind it, I just think there’s a cap that exists.”
According to a USA Today database, Bill Self’s annual salary at Kansas is $9.6 million, while John Calipari’s new contract at Arkansas pays him $8 million in the first year. Hurley signed a six-year, $32 million contract after winning his first national championship last year, and he received a $2 million incentive this season on top of his $5 million regular salary.
“Obviously, they want to pay him,” Zagoria’s source explained. “I just believe that at some time, Kentucky will no longer be the area where you can simply acquire some ridiculous number. I believe there are several facts at school that make this more difficult.”
There is more from the Pacific Division.
Despite being limited by second apron constraints, the Suns will try to satisfy three needs this summer, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7’s Burns and Gambo podcast (hat tip to Real GM). After allowing Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant handle the offence this season, Phoenix is looking for a point guard who can play at least 20 minutes per game, according to Gambadoro. The squad is also looking for a young winger with greater athleticism, as well as an upgrade for backup centre Drew Eubanks.
According to James Ham’s current issue of Kings Beat (subscription required), conflicting information about Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov makes it difficult to determine which portions of the narrative are true. As we reported earlier today, a Eurohoops story said that Vezenkov has requested a change of scenery and is considering returning to Europe. However, Ham reports that Matteo Andreani of Basketinside alleges the Kings informed Vezenkov that he is not in their plans for next season and will attempt to move him. Either option could result in a divorce this summer, and Ham claims that team officials have been silent on Vezenkov’s future.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr understands the pressure on Team USA to win an Olympic gold medal this summer, describing it as a “win or fail” situation, according to Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle. Kerr’s early preparation has included analysing previous losses to determine what went wrong, notably a 113-111 defeat over Germany in last year’s FIBA World Cup semifinals. “One of the things we look at is, why has USA Basketball lost games in the past?” stated Kerr. “There are certain recurring themes, the main one being defence. In the games we lost, we simply failed to stop the opposing team. This Germany game is one of them—they cut us apart. So we’ll have to be really good defensively this summer.”
