Why the Hell Did Adrian Wojnarowski's "Dan Hurley to the Lakers" Story Happen?

A tangled mystery with Woj vs. Shams at its heart

The following is highly informed speculation about the Lakers coaching debacle. I’ll say “speculation” because I’m not looking to get sued. Just know that I’ve been talking to people around the league, gathering theories on how the Lakers’ unrealized hire of UCONN coach Dan Hurley dominated ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Finals. The more conversations I have, the more the story comes together. It’s the rare tangled web that connects high level characters in women’s college basketball, men’s college basketball, the aforementioned Lakers, and ESPN’s NBA Finals broadcast.

It’s a convoluted tale of plans gone awry, perhaps reminiscent of a Coen Brothers film like Fargo. I’ll try to stay somewhat chronological given all the players involved here, so let’s start at a very recent beginning. I believe that our saga officially begins on June 4th. Obviously, there was a lead up before this date, but June 4th is the day of two seemingly unconnected announcements: