Dan Hurley turned down a huge offer to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and many believe his interest in the position was never genuine. Hurley said he is fed up with that storyline.
During a Thursday appearance on the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” Hurley slammed individuals who claimed he utilized the Lakers’ pursuit of him to bolster his contract extension talks with UConn. The 51-year-old claimed that winning back-to-back national crowns provided him with all of the necessary leverage.
“One of the worse takes I’ve heard is that I’m using this as leverage to improve my situation at UConn. “I don’t need leverage here,” Hurley stated. “We won back-to-back national titles at this venue. This was never a leverage position for me.
“I’ve had a contract in place here for a few weeks. The financial aspect, in terms of remuneration, has been completed for some time. There are several additional areas that I would like to change, such as NIL and staff wages, that I am uncomfortable with. But the notion that this was a plan to get me a better deal at UConn is simply lazy. It was an extremely difficult decision for me.”
“One of the worst takes I’ve heard is that this was a leverage play…I don’t need leverage here. We’ve won back to back national championships.”
– Dan Hurley shuts down the rumors that this was all some sort of leverage play to get a better contract with UConn.
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) June 13, 2024
You can never have too much leverage. Even if Hurley is telling the truth about seriously considering the Lakers’ job, there is little doubt that the negotiations improved his status at UConn. We see it all the time with outstanding college coaches who are considering making the move to the pros.
Hurley is the seventh-highest-paid college basketball coach, earning $5 million. UConn is unlikely to match the Lakers’ offer, but perhaps the flirtation helped Hurley to gain some of the NIL benefits he highlighted.
