The Los Angeles Lakers are putting their money where their mouth is. In their pursuit of two-time NCAA champion Dan Hurley, the franchise is offering a massive nine-figure contract to lure him away from UConn. Per Lakers Daily insider Anthony Irwin, Hurley’s deal will be in “ballpark” of $100 million.
Hearing the offer the Lakers are prepared to make to Hurley his weekend is in the nine figure range. Ballpark of 8 years, ~$100M.
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) June 7, 2024
Lakers Preparing Nine-Figure Contract Offer for Dan Hurley
An eight-year, $100 million contract wouldn’t give Hurley the highest annual salary among NBA coaches.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich makes $16 million per year. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra signed an eight-year, $120 million contract that pays him $15 million per year. Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams, who was signed to the richest coaching contract in NBA history at the time, earns $13 million per year. However, at $12.5 million per year, he’d be making more than Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer ($10 million) and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown ($8.5 million), who have both won two Coach of the Year awards.
Essentially, the Lakers would be paying Hurley to be the architect of a dynasty. That’s what Popovich does for the Spurs, and what Spoelstra has done for the Heat. Due to their ability to maximize their players, they’re capable of truly building a championship team. To that point, Hurley’s player development skills have been a talking point due to the young players L.A. has, but doesn’t use.
Return On Investment
When judging a coaching candidate’s viability, it’s essential to get a bead on whether they’re a guru or teacher. Those candidates will be more inclined to work with raw talent, pushing their players to be their best. With that said, Ham’s inability to properly develop Max Christie was among the reasons he was fired, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. In fact, Ham failed to sharpen the skillset of either Christie, Maxwell Lewis or Jalen Hood-Schifino.
As executives in any company like to get a solid return on investment, this was a problem. The Lakers didn’t draft Hood-Schifino with the 17th overall pick for him to be a DNP-CD. Though Christie and Lewis were second-round picks, they entered the NBA with legit 3-and-D potential. So, whether they draft Bronny James or a more NBA-ready prospect, L.A. is looking for the person who will actually coach up his players. As they once again hold the No. 17 pick, this might even be considered imperative.
Lakers’ Draft Options
There are several prospects slotted to picked in the late lottery range who could help the Lakers if available. Tankathon has L.A. selecting USC point guard Isaiah Collier in their most recent mock draft, a very reasonable choice with their roster needs. They’ve also been linked to G League Ignite forward Ron Holland, who only has one weakness in his game. With that said, both Collier or Holland have the talent of a No. 1 draft pick. What they lack though, is consistency in a key area.
Hurley is the man who can uncover what lies beneath the surface.
