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Dan Hurley Shares Biggest Lakers Regret

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Aleksandar Mishkov | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 4:41 PM ET

Last summer, when the Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham after a first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets, they went on an extensive coaching search. UConn’s Dan Hurley was one of the options before they eventually chose JJ Redick. The offer to Hurley was never revealed, with some rumors speculating it was in the range of six years, $70 million. But Hurley turned down the offer and returned to college basketball. In the end, the Lakers hired Redick, and he won 50 games before losing in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Dan Hurley Shares Biggest Lakers Regret

Recently, Hurley joined “The Zach Lowe Show” to discuss several topics. Of course, the topic of him joining the NBA and coaching the Lakers naturally came up. Asked whether he thought “hey, this could be you” after the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, he replied:

“Yeah, I got some of those. I get some of those, but I’d say, a majority of it is Lakers fans, you know, direct messaging that you are the biggest, you know, look how stupid you are. I would say we are not having the season that you know. I thought I was going to have at UConn. Now that trade goes down, your mind also probably goes there is a little bit like, you know, man, you could have coached LeBron and Luka on the same team.”

That responsibility of coaching LeBron James and Doncic now falls to JJ Redick. Last season, he didn’t have a full training camp to help them develop chemistry and find a way to play off of each other. But this season, the Lakers will come in prepared. As for Hurley, he said on the podcast that eventually, he wants to get to the NBA. But you can never know when that will happen.

Did the Lakers Make the Right Move with Redick?

If we look at Redick’s first season as an NBA coach, he did a good job with the Lakers. At one point, they had the best defense in the league. There are arguments for both sides, but fans mostly believe he is a promising choice.

Mar 10, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) high fives head coach JJ Redick during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Hurley could have been a good coach for the Lakers as well. But after he declined, the Lakers pivoted and had a strong meeting with Redick. His strengths are being a strong communicator, having a deep basketball intellect, and being relatable to players. Most importantly, however, is Redick’s modern basketball perspective.

The Road for Lakers Winning the Championship Gets Easier

After the offseason, the Lakers earned the fourth-best championship odds among the Western Conference teams. They have the sixth-best overall odds. In the West, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets have better chances.

Yet, one of those teams just suffered a major setback. The Rockets lost Fred VanVleet to a torn ACL, which will likely sideline him for all of next season. VanVleet is their only true point guard and playmaker. Without him, they will have to count on younger players or maybe even sign someone else.

But one thing is certain: Houston is weaker than it was a week ago. That opens up more possibilities for the Lakers. Of course, the season is long, and injuries may happen to any team. If the Lakers get healthy for the postseason, they can certainly be a problem.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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