What’s next for the Lakers now that Dan Hurley rejected them?

Whew, let’s take a deep breath.

As the Lakers regroup after their open courting of — and rejection by — Dan Hurley, there are almost nothing but questions about what just happened and what could happen next.

Let’s review.

So, did they have a chance with Dan Hurley?

The Lakers certainly behaved as if they thought they were going to land Hurley, bringing him to their facility, offering a six-year commitment, $70 million and the kind of partnership that led to real optimism the team had found its next coach.

Friday afternoon, they cleared out their building for a private conversation with Hurley and seemingly left a very strong impression.

The notion the Lakers were played in this, all for Hurley to land a raise at Connecticut, has been dismissed by people close to the situation and by rival executives, some of whom insist the Lakers were very close to landing Hurley.

Close, of course, doesn’t matter. Having an “almost” head coach is the same as having “no” head coach. But from a process standpoint, there’s little doubt the Lakers were set on Hurley as their guy.

When did they get set on him? That’s open for debate. His name was kept in total secrecy in most corners of the NBA until ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news last Thursday morning.

But the Lakers had genuine optimism their pitch would land, optimism that started to wane as the process went along.

It was a risk they thought they needed to take.

Why did Hurley say no?

As far as I’ve heard, the decision wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about LeBron James and the Lakers’ roster. It was about UConn and it was about geography.

On the front end, Hurley and UConn are strongly positioned to make a run at a third straight championship, a feat that was last accomplished by John Wooden when UCLA won seven in row from 1967 to 1973. Alex Karaban, a key player on last season’s title team, withdrew from the NBA draft and returned to school despite being a prospect who impressed teams with picks late in the first round and early in the second.

Then there’s home — an irreplicable element for the Lakers. Hurley’s life has been spent in the Northeast, playing at Seton Hall, coaching in college and the pros in New Jersey, working at Wagner in New York and at Rhode Island before his run at UConn.

Like so many college coaches before him with NBA interest, it was too difficult to leave.

Did the Lakers cheap out?

The six-year, $70-million offer to Hurley would’ve made him the sixth-highest-paid coach in the NBA, with Monty Williams the only coach ahead of him without at least one title.

It was a fair offer, especially considering the rocky track record of college coaches in the NBA. But considering Hurley’s ties to UConn and that part of the country, and knowing that he ended up staying put, it obviously wasn’t enough.

There were rumors of the Lakers putting together offers that would’ve had Hurley making close to $15 million annually that might have swayed him. It’s impossible to say at this point.

The Lakers’ offer turned out to be more reasonable — but again, Hurley ultimately turned them down.

How would’ve Hurley done?

He would have done well ... eventually.

I think the questions about how Hurley would’ve adjusted to the NBA never really were able to be formally discussed because of the excitement surrounding his courtship, but there are legitimate reasons why so many college coaches have struggled with the jump.

With Hurley, the biggest ones would’ve been emotional. He’d have to learn how to normalize losing in a healthier way and not live and die with possessions the same way he does in college. The decisions for an NBA coach come quicker and at a way higher volume each game and all season.

There would’ve been an adjustment period that would have needed to happen (though people think Hurley would’ve eventually become comfortable).

What happens next? Is JJ Redick still the clear favorite?

Maybe, maybe not.

As The Times had reported throughout this search, a lot of the Redick chatter came from outside the Lakers’ walls with team officials insisting the process was more open than people realized. That turned out to be more true than anyone could’ve realized, the Lakers landing on a coach in Hurley who was off of almost everyone’s radar.

A big question that still exists is whether the Lakers talked themselves out of Redick while talking themselves into Hurley. And if so, can they regroup and get behind Redick again should he push to the front of their search?

Anyone else to monitor?

James Borrego has some support in certain pockets of the Lakers’ organization and he has a history with Anthony Davis, definitely a factor in this coaching search. The team and outside voices have repeatedly noted this next hire needs to be more about Davis and less about James, the soon-to-be 40-year-old star who is still expected to return to the Lakers.

There’s some thinking that labeling Borrego as “anyone else” is a bit of misnomer. He was, after all, the only other candidate to have interviews at the Lakers’ facility. And word was he was organized and impressive, according to people with knowledge of the search not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who are looking for a head coach, are thought to be a strong fans of Borrego, and if the Lakers are interested, they might need to move more quickly.

Is the Lakers job a “good” job?

It’s complicated.

Detractors will look at the situation and point to an ownership that is not independently wealthy beyond the team. They’ll look at how the front office has run through coaches in recent years, how fan scrutiny can be hyper intense. And they’ll look at the roster and the Western Conference and not see an easy path to contention.

But the Lakers do have a huge edge in one sense: Great players want to be in Los Angeles. And they still have them on the roster with the ability to be aggressive this summer in the trade market.

And there’s nothing quite like being a famous Laker, an undeniable truth even from people who enjoy seeing the franchise struggle.

It really depends who you ask and what you see — opportunity or too many hurdles.

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