Dan Hurley understandably turns down Lakers rather than walk away from a possible three-peat at UConn

College basketball doesn’t usually produce big headlines in June – but we did have one Monday when Dan Hurley rejected an offer to be the next Lakers coach and chose to remain at UConn.

It is the most sensible end to this public search.

To be clear, I would have understood anything Hurley decided do so because he had two big, lucrative opportunities to choose from – one that would allow him to put everything aside and try to win a third national championship with the Huskies next season, another that would reportedly guarantee him $70 million to professional basketball coach, the most glamorous franchise in professional basketball. Any decision, at some level, would have led to a dream come true for most. But the reason I believe Hurley turning down Los Angeles to stay at UConn is the most sensible ending to this public search is because — and I admit I’m projecting here, but the reason is because — I truly believe, no matter how well or why Worse things could have happened with the Lakers, Hurley would always have wondered if he was right to pass up the opportunity to become the first coach since John Wooden to win three consecutive national championships in Division I men’s basketball.

There’s more to it than that, obviously.

(And I’ll get there.)

But the chance to make real history in a place you love is hard to pass up — especially when you field a team listed as a co-favorite (with Kansas) to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament, according to FanDuel. It’s also hard: Leaving the only time zone you’ve ever really known, and the only time zone your wife (Andrea Hurley) has ever really known, to move about 3,000 miles away from most of the rest of your family to train – yes, the Lakers, but also – the franchise who just finished seventh in the Western Conference with a best player (LeBron James) who will turn 40 later this year. (And that’s if the top player opts out of his contract, which reportedly remains up in the air.) Also difficult: accepting a $70 million contract after there were reports the Lakers would offer $100 million.

(Side note: It’s possible that no reasonable or even unreasonable amount of money would have done this for the Lakers. But when you’re chasing the hottest coach in the world – someone who has already turned down the University of Kentucky, has already made it clear he doesn’t intend to go although and has already made it clear that his wife loves living in the part of the country where they live – you have to surprise him with the offer if you really believe he’s the one. And I know that might seem crazy to regular working Americans. , but a six-year, $70 million offer no longer qualifies as blowing someone up in the NBA coaching market, especially when the candidate already has an incredible job. If Hurley had accepted the Lakers’ offer, he would have been only the second-highest-paid coach in Los Angeles behind Ty Lue. Given the context of the situation, I’m not surprised he refused to accept.)

I suppose it’s possible that someday Hurley will regret missing this opportunity with the Lakers — but then again, I’d wager that the most likely hypothetical source of future regret would have accompanied leaving UConn now and under these circumstances. Obviously, it’s me designing again. But I believe it to be true. Furthermore, it’s important to understand that Hurley didn’t bet on the NBA forever, but rather just kicked it along the way. He may never have the chance to coach LeBron and the Lakers again, but he will almost certainly have more NBA opportunities in the coming years – NBA opportunities in markets closer to his family’s roots, NBA opportunities where immediate and big wins are more possible than winning outright and big could have been with the Lakers, NBA opportunities that wouldn’t require him to give up back-to-back national championships and a team built to win another. Put another way, there will definitely be better times for Hurley to leave UConn, and probably better NBA jobs for him to take, if he ever decides to go that route. I’m sure he knows and understands this.

So, as I told Tommy Tran in CBS Sports Headquarters, we could end up singing and dancing to this whole song again next year, because this won’t be the last time Dan Hurley is connected to an NBA job. But this time he decided to stay at UConn. And it really feels like that’s where he and his family belong — at least for now.