The search for a new head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers recently underwent a new twist! Since last week, the rumor has been running rampant that the franchise is eyeing UConn head coach, Dan Hurley, to take up the top position previously occupied by Darvin Ham. However, barely a few hours ago, it was revealed that Hurley had turned down the job offer. The coach will continue with his six-year, $32 million contract with the college team, even though the Lakers were reportedly ready to offer him $70 million for the same time. However, according to a former NBA player, there never was such a high offer.

A few hours ago, former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas released another episode of his long-running show. Joining him as guest hosts were two other prior members of the NBA fraternity: Nick ‘SwaggyP’ Young and Kenyon Martin. When the time came to discuss Dan Hurley turning down the Lakers’ HC position, Arenas displayed a unique look on his face before sarcastically saying “And I turned down to replace Stephen A Smith on ‘First Take’”. The 3x NBA All-Star reportedly put up this remark since he did not choose to believe that the offer made to Dan Hurley was real.

“It’s Fantasy Sh*t they be talking about,” said Arenas. “There’s no way he turned down $70 million for the next level, if that was actually offered, for the contract he has now, to try to three-peat on a season …….. shut the f**k up”. The former player demanded that he be shown a text or even an email that confirmed that Hurley was offered over $70 million for the top post.

Dan Hurley had earlier indicated that he would love to step up and be a part of the NBA in the distant future. The statement was made around the same time that the UConn Huskies had won their second NCAA championship. A third win in 2025 would provide the franchise with the unique ‘Three-Peat’ achievement. However, with the uncertainty surrounding the same, and the fact that accepting the Lakers’ reported offer would have made him one of the highest-paid head coaches in the NBA, Hurley rejecting the deal is what made the former Wizards player suspicious.

If Arenas’ claim is true, then the question would raised on why Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and General Manager Rob Pelinka allegedly indicated that the UConn coach would be the recipient of such a high contract. Ironically, Gilbert Arenas himself answered this question a couple of days ago.

Gilbert Arenas believed that Dan Hurley’s candidacy was being considered for JJ Redick’s advantage

Before Dan Hurley, the person who was rumored to be the top pick for consideration was former Orlando Magic player JJ Redick. Even though he had no prior coaching experience to his name, the professional bond he shares with lead scorer LeBron James, and his overall Basketball IQ, made him a favorite amongst Lakers fans. Once the name of the UConn coach started to pop up, Gilbert Arenas developed the belief that the action was all just a ploy.

During a previous episode of the same show, co-host Rashad McCants stated that considering Dan Hurley is just a way for the NBA franchise to “prolong” the process of HC selection. it. While the reason behind the same was not clarified, McCants believed that “They just going to throw in a couple more motherf**kers that might seem a little bit more qualified or perfect for the job and then they’ll end up picking JJ”. Gibert Arenas agreed with his co-host and even showed that he was convinced when the people around him speculated that this was all just an attempt from Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka to keep the name of the Lakers trending.

“Lakers motto is business and entertainment first,” said Arenas. “As long as they can keep the name in the algorithm, the Lakers are going to do it.”

What are your thoughts on Dan Hurley not choosing to take the Lakers’ HC post? Let us know in the comments down below.

Before leaving, make sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.