J.R. Smith Warns Dan Hurley Not To Accept Lakers Head Coach Job

Perhaps J.R. Smith feels some type of way about the Lakers. Smith signed for the Lakers in 2020 as they needed a replacement for Avery Bradley, who opted out of playing in the NBA bubble. Smith played very few minutes, and was just a bench option for the Lakers, as they went on to win an NBA championship.

Smith won his second championship with the Lakers but seems to have some issues with the franchise. He hasn't said anything at all about lingering issues in interviews and has stayed quiet about his time with the Lakers since retiring from the NBA. So these comments from Smith do come out of nowhere.

Dan Hurley has been linked to the Lakers' head coaching position in the last few days, after Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Lakers were interested in him, and were preparing a massive offer for him

Can Dan Hurley Lead The Lakers To A Championship?

In the days since the report, Dan Hurley has had positive conversations with the Lakers front office, who promised him that he would have the chance to win 'lots of championships' with them in the future.

"I happened to be at a thing with him last night," said Auriemma hours after the news broke of Hurley's talks with the Lakers. "I have no idea what's going on and I have no idea where this is going or what's happening but I leaned over and I said 'I think you could win a lot of championships with the Lakers, more so than a guy who's never coached.' I just looked at him and he kind of laughed and then I woke up this morning and voila."

Hurley is a decorated college basketball coach, recently leading the UConn Huskies to two consecutive NCAA championships in 2023 and 2024. For him to take on the Lakers head coaching position would be a big leap, but one that he has shown that he can handle with his college basketball experience.

LeBron James had praised Hurley in April of this year, which could signal that he would be happy with the Lakers choosing to hire him. It appears that James has asked the Lakers to make the coaching decision based on Anthony Davis rather than him, as that would better serve the long-term future of the franchise.

The Lakers will be hoping to close the deal with Hurley soon, as they would like to have his input on their roster moves during free agency, or any big trades that they make to recalibrate the roster ahead of the new season. Hurley could be a promising new head coach for the Lakers, who can bring them back to championship contention status next season.