Dan Hurley fallout being felt in the JJ Redick, Lakers relationship

The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to an array of compelling candidates for the vacancy at head coach. While the likes of David Adelman, Sam Cassell, Micah Nori, and Chris Quinn are intriguing, the three names that have most consistently arisen have been James Borrego, Dan Hurley, and JJ Redick.

With Hurley heading back to the University of Connecticut, it appears as though the Lakers are back to square one—only the conditions are far more complicated than before.

Recent reports have created even more chaos surrounding the coaching process. Some have suggested that the Lakers and Redick have barely spoken about the job, even going as far as suggesting that he's out of the equation, while others insist he's the lead candidate.

The latest report may be the most alarming of all if you're in the camp of Redick being an ideal fit in Los Angeles, however, as Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reports his sources around the NBA are questioning if Redick still wants the job.

"Some folks around the league feel J.J. Redick won’t want to be involved with this circus, and that he won’t want to be a second choice, but he wants to coach. The Lakers seem very intrigued by him for whatever reason and the focus will smoothly shift to him."

Goodwill mentions that Redick will become the primary candidate once more, but the portion about his potentially dwindling interest in the position is a massive twist.

At a time when Redick was viewed as a virtual lock to become the next head coach of the Lakers, general manager Rob Pelinka made a public effort to hire Hurley. The Lakers reportedly offered the two-time defending National Champion a six-year contract worth $70 million.

Hurley ultimately declined the offer and will instead return to UConn in the pursuit of the first three-peat in men's college basketball since John Wooden's UCLA won every title from 1967 to 1973.

Speculation has mounted about the sincerity of the pursuit of Hurley, with some suggesting that it was a ruse to give him leverage against UConn for a bigger contract. It's also been suggested that this was merely an effort to take the attention off of Redick as he finishes out his coverage of the NBA Finals for ABC and ESPN.

Regardless of what the intention was, it was a clear departure from the expected outcome.

Perhaps this action will deter Redick from accepting the Lakers job, if offered, as he looks to avoid being viewed as a backup option for his first NBA coaching gig. It'd be understandable, as Frank Vogel was forced to answer questions about being the third choice for the Lakers when he was hired in 2019 after their failed attempts to bring in Tyronn Lue and Monty Williams.

As the Lakers weigh their options and potentially make an offer to Redick, flashbacks to messes of yesteryear are unavoidable. One can only hope that Redick gets more of a fair shot than Vogel did.