(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
Woike reported Thursday the Lakers are hoping Hurley, 51, will be a program builder, an experienced winner with a track record of development. Since the team moved on from embattled coach Darvin Ham, people involved in the search have pointed to a big-picture approach with the hire. The hope has been the team can find a coach who can maximize LeBron James’ final years in the NBA while establishing the kind of culture that can sustain the franchise in its next era after James, with key pieces of the future like Austin Reaves in place.
James, according to people with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly, hasn’t taken an active role in the Lakers’ search beyond echoing those big- picture goals. Anthony Davis and the long-term iterations of the roster have been a primary focus — one James himself had advocated for.
Hurley won the last two NCAA tournaments for UConn — an incredible feat in modern college basketball, with the Huskies being the third back-to-back champions since 1990, including Mike Krzyzewski’s two titles in 1991 and 1992 with Duke.
Should he take the Lakers job, Hurley could possibly double his reported $5.35-million annual salary, Ben Bolch noted Thursday. He would also assume what might be the glitziest job in basketball while giving himself a chance to show that he can succeed at the highest level of the game.
“UConn fits me perfectly,” Hurley said on the Mike Francesa podcast earlier this week. “I do aspire, one day if the right NBA situation were to come along, I do aspire to really testing myself. … if the right situation were an organization that wants a tone setter to come in, instill a culture, young players in an organization that wants to pursue championships.”