Well, *that's* a swerve from the Lakers
J.J. Redick is apparently no longer the front-runner as Dan Hurley enters the chat.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
In the wake of reports that the Lakers were preparing to hire J.J. Redick, a podcaster, broadcaster, former player and one-time supporting character in a Gilded Age-inspired private preschool battle in Brooklyn, the team has apparently instead decided to hire Dan Hurley, the two-time national championship head coach at UConn.
The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley as the franchise's next coach and are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer to bring the back-to-back NCAA national champion to the NBA, sources told ESPN.
The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the sides are planning to escalate discussions in the coming days, sources told ESPN. Hurley has been at the forefront of the Lakers' search from the beginning of the process, even while the organization has done its due diligence interviewing several other candidates, sources said.
Redick, currently working for ESPN while preparing to call the NBA Finals, which begin Thursday, barely figures in Woj’s new reporting. This is the only mention of Redick in the initial version of the story.
In a social media post responding to a podcast interview with JJ Redick, James posted on X about Hurley: "He's so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their [offense]. Love it."
What a turn of events.
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