The D-Day has arrived for all the Lakers Fandom, as UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley finally made the decision of his life. The 51YO decided to reject the $70 Million bait by Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss and secured his legacy with the UConn Huskies, as Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted a few minutes ago. With this in view, Jeanie Buss would be forced to switch back to JJ Redick’s option, and the announcement on the same could come in after the NBA Finals are over.

Before the decision was made, Hurley actually told Adrian Woj that he was torn between the decision to stay back at UConn or take the once-in-a-lifetime Lakers’ offer. Of course, it was a tough decision. On one hand, he is lured by the “compelling and visionary” offers to coach LeBron James and Anthony Davis and to be a part of the glorious future that lies ahead for the Lakers; on the other hand, is UConn, his comfort zone where he has won multiple back-to-back national championships.

The speculations around this started last week when the Lakers showed interest in Hurley. ESPN reported that the franchise is drafting up a contract that could keep Hurley in Los Angeles for quite some time.

Hurley even traveled to Los Angeles earlier to meet with the front office and discuss the details of this contract, before coming back to the East Coast on Saturday. Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka sold a glorified future for the Lakers, to bring Hurley into the picture. He could become one of the most influential figures in NBA history had he taken up this job, coaching not just LeBron James and Anthony Davis but also the future of the Lakers. It would be his brand and his image that could mould the future of the franchise. He had already made the decision rather privately, but only announced it officially today.

It’s a major outcome where the UConn Huskies won, avoiding a massive withdrawal of some of the best collegiate basketball talent.

With this decision, Hurley has now joined Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight, and others who also turned down NBA offers to stick with their college jobs. Interestingly, this is history repeating itself as just two decades ago, it was Krzyzewski turning the Lakers’ down. The only thing that has changed now is that the face of the Lakers is LeBron James in this scenario, while then it was Kobe Bryant.

Had Hurley taken the job, the 51-year-old would have moved across the country on the other side, along with his family, who seek solace in privacy. Plus, he would live in the fear of losing the job, because let’s face it, the Lakers aren’t the best when it comes to securing its coaches. Since Phil Jackson exited the franchise in 2011, nobody has lasted here for more than 3 years at a stretch.

Plus, after Darvin Ham, he would have inherited a top-heavy team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the focal point. They’ve been constantly marred with injuries, preventing them from contesting successfully for the Finals, with their last title being the 2020 one.

But this decision makes us circle back to the ultimate question once again – who will coach the Lakers? As we said earlier, there could be chances where Jeanie Buss would be forced to stick to JJ Redick as the future coach now.

After Dan Hurley turns down Lakers’ HC position, JJ Redick’s path becomes easier

No matter how many people were in favor of Hurley coaching the Lakers, it is highly possible JJ Redick will turn up. Earlier reports by Shams Charania also reported about how the Lakers are “zeroing in” on Redick.

Yes, Hurley would have been a blessing in disguise for the LA side, but Redick too has his strong points, despite zero coaching experience. In fact, Redick was the first candidate to meet with the Lakers’ front office face-to-face three weeks ago.

Redick brings to the table his strong acumen, his basketball IQ, and his charismatic personality. Even though he has never once lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy, he still understands the game in-depth, and the intricacies involved. It is evident how intelligent he is with the sport on his many podcasts, especially Mind the Game with LeBron James.

Breen too feels the same thing. He speaks at length about how scary his basketball knowledge is. So once he starts to talk to other coaches and players, he will really command the room. This kind of experience will come in handy to manage a team like Lakers who really need that mentorship and hand-holding. He can instill that team spirit and hold people accountable. Added to that, his robust game planning can give the Lakers a new direction if he actually lands the job.

Before you go, do check out this exclusive episode EssentiallySports shot with Leonard Armato, as he talks about the future of WNBA, Caitlin Clark.