Dan Hurley has turned down offers from two of the most prestigious college and professional sports basketball teams to remain with the UConn Huskies.
The 51-year-old coach attracted interest from the Kentucky Wildcats, one of the top college basketball programs ever, and the Los Angeles Lakers, arguably the most storied franchise in the NBA.
Both teams offered him similar annual salaries, with Kentucky proposing a deal worth $11 million per season, which would easily make him the highest-paid college basketball coach in the country, as no one else currently earns more than $10 million.
Meanwhile, the Lakers presented a six-year contract worth $70 million, translating to an annual salary of $11.6 million, positioning him as the sixth-highest-paid coach in the league.
Kentucky eventually settled with former player Mark Pope to lead the team on a five-year contract worth $5.5 million annually, surpassing Hurley's current salary at UConn, which stands at $5.1 million.
However, UConn and Hurley are currently negotiating an improved deal that would make him the highest-paid college coach in the country.
Lakers criticized for penny-pinching for head coach
Meanwhile, several figures expressed disappointment as the team didn't present Hurley with a staggering offer, especially given the increasing salaries for NBA head coaches, considering the team's esteemed brand and revenue.
"You can't come to the table and say, 'You'll be the 5th highest paid coach in the league.' There is a Monty Williams bar to clear."
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) June 10, 2024
— @getnickwright on the report that Dam Hurley turned down the Lakers 6-yr/$70M offer: pic.twitter.com/h64sdesunt
Coaching contracts aren’t capped. They don’t need to affect any other component of the organization.
The Lakers decided Hurley was their guy. They didn’t want to pay him like he was. That’s a red flag. https://t.co/LnQGnEx0Vk— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) June 10, 2024
The University of Kentucky offered Dan Hurley $100 million in April. He said no.
— Tristan (@TBeckmann24) June 10, 2024
The Los Angeles Lakers ($5.5 billion dollar valuation) then decided to offer him $70 million in June.
What exactly did we think was going to happen here? https://t.co/pe6hBtnww7
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