"Could've coached Luka and LeBron": Dan Hurley admits regret after facing Lakers fans' wrath following Luka Doncic trade 

Dan Hurley's stock among LA Lakers fans fell through the cracks after the UConn men's basketball coach rejected the Purple and Gold's offer last summer. Hurley reportedly used LA's six-year $70 million offer to earn a deal with Huskies worth $50 million over the same time frame.

He also prioritized the chance to win three consecutive NCAA titles, a feat unscaled since UCLA's John Wooden era in the 1970s. In hindsight, it wasn't just that.

He missed the opportunity to coach a team with Luka Doncic and LeBron James on it, the present and the future of the NBA after LA and Dallas struck a seismic trade to land the Slovenian for Anthony Davis.

Hurley even faced the Lakers fans' scrutiny over it. He revealed the messages in his X DM's during an appearance on Zach Lowe's podcast with The Ringer on Monday.

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"It's Lakers fans direct messaging you that you're the biggest moron, you know, look how stupid you are," he said.

Hurley admitted that the thought of letting go of the opportunity with the Lakers crossed his mind, especially amid an underwhelming season for UConn. The Huskies finished third in the Big East and were bounced in the second round by Florida in the national tournament.

"Your mind also probably, you know, goes there a little bit. Like, man, you could've coached LeBron and Luka on the same team," Hurley added.

LA signed the inexperienced JJ Redick on a four-year contract instead. The move worked out fairly well after it made the playoffs as a top-three seed for the first time since the 2019-20 championship run in the LeBron James era.

However, like Dan Hurley's UConn, they fell short in the playoffs, suffering a 4-1 series loss in the first round against the Timberwolves.

Dan Hurley debunks talk around leveraging Lakers for personal gain

When Dan Hurley's links to the Lakers first emerged, there were significant concerns around the UConn coach leveraging their offer for personal gain. Many didn't consider Hurley's interest substantial over his looming contract situation with the Huskies.

However, Hurley debunked that speculation in his book, "Never Stop: Life, Leadership, and What It Takes to Be Great," which releases on Sept. 30. Zach Lowe gave a sneak peek into it during their interview, saying the first chapter felt like a rebuttal to rumors around Hurley and the Lakers being a smoke screen.

Lowe revealed that the book gave specifics of Hurley's trip to LA during his interview process with Rob Pelinka, in which he mentioned the hotel he stayed at and the restaurant where he had dinner with the executive.

On Zach Lowe's show, Dan Hurley revealed he had a detailed discussion with several people in his network, including former NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski and multiple NBA coaches.

Edited by Arhaan Raje