Report: UConn offers Hurley lucrative new deal as Lakers lurk
UConn made an offer to retain Dan Hurley that would pay him the third-highest wage for a head coach in college basketball, sources told Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.
If he accepts, Hurley will rank behind only Arkansas' John Calipari and Kansas' Bill Self among college basketball's best-paid coaches.
The Huskies are suddenly facing stiff competition to keep their bench boss following back-to-back NCAA national titles. Their offer reportedly pales to that of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, who are attempting to pry Hurley out of Storrs with a massive long-term deal.
Hurley, who first took over in UConn in 2018, is believed to be "50-50" on deciding to stay or take a blockbuster jump to the NBA and one of its most storied franchises. He'll reportedly meet with top Lakers executives Friday about the position, which has been vacant since Darvin Ham was fired in May. L.A.'s next head coach will be its sixth in the last decade, following Mike D'Antoni, Byron Scott, Luke Walton, Frank Vogel, and Ham.
Hurley inked a contract extension with the Huskies in 2023 worth $32.1 million over six years. If he leaves for another college program, he'll owe UConn $7.5 million in a buyout, much more than the $1.88 million he'll owe for terminating his contract to take an NBA gig.