It is no secret that the Lakers were desperately trying to pursue Dan Hurley to become their new head coach

However, the pursuit only led to a heartbreak for Rob Pelinka as even after reportedly offering Hurley a six-year $70 million contract, he denied the offer and decided to stay at UCONN. With the Lakers back to square one after losing Hurley, they might return to assessing their previously finalized candidates, James Borrego and JJ Redick. However, veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith showed support for his ESPN coworker JJ to get the job, warning the Lakers against hiring Borrego.

Discussing Hurley turning down the Lakers job on The Stephen A. Smith Show, the analyst claimed that one of the reasons Hurley did it was because the Lakers didn’t have much to offer. “If the Lakers were a more attractive job, perhaps he’d be more interested.” Once a team that everyone aspired to be a part of, the Lakers seem to have lost their charm because of their recent struggles. And maybe that’s why Hurley thought pursuing a third straight NCAA title and creating history was a better option than running a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

But where do the Lakers go from here? Well, amid this uncertainty, Stephen A. scoffed at the idea of Pelinka potentially signing James Borrego, “I don’t wanna hear a damn thing about James Borrego.” While there have been reports about Anthony Davis preferring Borrego as head coach over JJ Redick because of their time together in New Orleans, along with Borrego’s previous head coaching experience in Charlotte, Stephen A. claims that AD is not the one that Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss need to please. “Anthony Davis, as great as he is, ain’t the draw. LeBron James is!” So, maybe the Lakers need to prioritize LeBron’s preference over AD’s, regardless of Davis being the future of the franchise.