Rick Pitino reveals why he thinks Dan Hurley won’t leave UConn for Lakers

Will UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley leave for the Los Angeles Lakers job? That is the question everyone is waiting to find out the answer to.

Over the weekend, Hurley met with the Lakers and is reportedly mulling a decision. The announcement from Hurley is expected to come on Monday one way or another, but both fan bases are holding their breaths waiting to see what happens.

Legendary college basketball coach Rick Pitino, who is currently at St. John’s, chimed in on the drama, per Adam Zagoria.

‘FWIW, Rick Pitino told me today he doesn’t know what Danny will do, but he doesn’t think he’ll take the Lakers job.

“His father and his wife don’t want to go to Los Angeles.” Rick made similar comments over the weekend to the NY Post.’

Pitino also made his thoughts clear with a post on X:

‘For the record, I have no idea what Danny, his Dad, or wife want to do. I would love to see him stay in the Big East! He’s great for our league.’

There’s a case to be made for Hurley to go to the Lakers and to stay at UConn, although a reported $100 million contract from the Lakers might be tough to pass up for Hurley.

Inside look at the Lakers-Dan Hurley rumblings 

It has just been a matter of days since the initial Dan Hurley-Lakers link, but things have surely escalated quickly. On the other hand, some pushback has occurred regarding just how appealing the Lakers job is, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

‘As we await Dan Hurley’s decision to stay at UConn or leave for the Lakers, one bit of context that I found interesting in talking to a few NBA sources over the weekend is how lowly regarded the actual Lakers job is within NBA circles and where it ranks vs. other organizations. The Lakers’ ownership group is cash-strapped relative to other franchises. It’s got the glamour of Los Angeles and immense history, but multiple NBA sources have expressed caution over the difficulty of that job (with or without LeBron) and with the constraints of the new CBA.’

The Lakers’ legacy is one thing, but the recent track record and financial constraints could have guys such as Hurley thinking hard about staying put. On top of that, UConn winning back-to-back national titles, and a very good chance of a three-peat should have Hurley thinking about staying in Storrs.

Nonetheless, nobody knows what he will do, although we can expect a decision soon.