Why did Dan Hurley turn down the Lakers? UConn coach rejects massive NBA contract to stay with Huskies

College basketball's newest coaching star is sticking around at least a little while longer.

UConn's Dan Hurley rejected a massive contract offer to become head coach of the Lakers on Monday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, ending a saga that began with shocking reports that Los Angeles made Hurley the main target of its search.

Hurley, who was hired by the Huskies in 2018 and has never coached at the NBA level, led UConn to back-to-back dominant national championship runs over the last two seasons and at least has a fighting chance to climb the mountaintop again in 2025.

Here's what you need to know about Hurley's decision to turn down the Lakers and stay at UConn.

MORE: Why Dan Hurley faced unprecedented decision between UConn, Lakers

Why did Dan Hurley turn down the Lakers?

After meeting with the Lakers and agonizing over the decision throughout the weekend, Hurley "ultimately couldn't walk away from a chance to make history and pursue a third straight NCAA title," Wojnarowski reported. Hurley is also expected to get a significant contract extension at UConn, though no deal has been reached yet.

As swept away as Hurley became by the Lakers courtship and vision for him, he ultimately couldn't walk away from a chance to make history and pursue a third straight NCAA title. Even before Lakers talks, Hurley already had a UConn offer to become one of highest paid NCAA coaches…

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2024

Legacy and location have mattered to Hurley throughout his career. His father, a legendary New Jersey high school coach, turned down college offers throughout his career to stay where he was most comfortable. The younger Hurley, who grew up in Jersey City and attended Seton Hall, has spent his entire career in the northeast and turned down interest from Kentucky when John Calipari left for Arkansas earlier in the offseason.

Dan Hurley statement: “I am humbled by this entire experience. At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut. We met as a team before today’s workout and our focus right now is on getting better this summer.”

— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) June 10, 2024

Hurley has built himself quite a legacy already with two national championships at UConn, but the challenge of winning a third along with the reality that he is quickly becoming the new face of college basketball ultimately proved to be more tantalizing than the uncertainty that comes with coaching the Lakers; no head coach has lasted more than three seasons with Los Angeles since Phil Jackson retired in 2011.

Hurley is expected to expand on his decision later Monday.

Dan Hurley offer from Lakers

Hurley rejected a reported six-year, $70 million contract offer from the Lakers. The deal would have placed him among the highest-paid coaches in the NBA, but he wouldn't have topped the list.

Golden State's Steve Kerr ($17.5 million), San Antonio's Gregg Popovich ($16 million), Miami's Erik Spoelstra ($15 million) and Detroit's Monty Williams ($13.08 million) all make more annually than Hurley would have made on the Lakers' offer, which would have paid him $11.7 million.

Then again, Hurley only makes $5.35 million per year on his current contract at UConn. That's expected to change in a significant way, with an extension offer reportedly on the table, so Hurley is about to receive a major pay increase even if it's less than what the Lakers offered.

MORE: Revisiting Mike Krzyzewski's decision to turn down Lakers in 2004

Dan Hurley contract at UConn

Hurley signed a six-year, $32.1 million contract extension at UConn after winning the national championship in 2023. That's expected to be revised pretty heavily in the near future.

Hurley has a new contract offer on the table from the Huskies, according to Wojnarowski. That offer would make him one of college basketball's highest-paid coaches, and it was reportedly on the table even before the Lakers' pursuit. No deal is agreed upon at this point, however. 

While Hurley figures to see a hefty pay raise from his current $5.35 million annual salary, UConn will likely have a hard time reaching what the Lakers offered him. The Huskies are a powerhouse on the basketball court, but they don't have the same football money many other prominent college programs do.

If it was all about money, though, Hurley would have accepted Kentucky's offer in April. Hurley appears to be committed to UConn even if that means turning down more money elsewhere.

NBA highest-paid coaches

Five NBA head coaches currently make at least $10 million annually, led by Steve Kerr's two-year, $35 million contract with the Warriors.

Four of the six highest-paid NBA coaches have won a championship, and all six have reached the NBA Finals. Monty Williams took the Suns to the Finals in 2021, while Mike Brown went to the Finals all the way back in 2007 with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Hurley's proposed contract from the Lakers would have made him the fifth-highest-paid NBA head coach, behind Kerr, Popovich, Spoelstra and Williams. On one hand, that would be a hefty salary for someone who has never coached in the NBA before. On the other hand, it wasn't the kind of offer that would necessary blow Hurley's mind considering some of the NBA's most respected coaches make upwards of $13 million per year.

The Lakers will now turn elsewhere in their coaching search, but it would be shocking if their next head coach received anything close to the offer Hurley turned down.