Recent Los Angeles Lakers Player Sends Strong Warning to Dan Hurley

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In a major report on Thursday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that UConn's head coach Dan Hurley is at the forefront of the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching search.
"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," Wojnarowski reported. "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."
The news shocked many, as The Athletic's Shams Charania had recently reported former NBA guard JJ Redick was the frontrunner, but it seems Hurley is truly who the Lakers are after.
In a post on X, former Lakers guard J.R. Smith urged Hurley not to take the Lakers job:
@danhurleyuconn don’t fall for it!
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) June 7, 2024
Warning Hurley to not "fall for it" as the UConn head coach meets with the Lakers, Smith was urgent in his messaging. A 16-year NBA veteran, Smith ended his career with the Lakers, winning his second championship with LeBron James. Smith played his most career games (372) with the Denver Nuggets before spending four seasons with the New York Knicks and five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.