LeBron James Reveals Surprising Role in Lakers' Dan Hurley Pursuit

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a never-ending pursuit for their next head coach. Their search has been full of twists and turns with the shocking report that the leading candidate is Dan Hurley of UConn emerging on Thursday morning.

Now that the dust has settled a little bit, we are getting more details about the process behind the coaching search. It has been rumored for the last couple of weeks that LeBron James had his preferred candidate in JJ Redick and the former Duke star would likely become the next head coach thanks to his relationship with the 39-year-old superstar.

The latest reporting from Brian Windhorst of ESPN, however, suggests otherwise. In fact, James reportedly told the Lakers management that they should hire a head coach for the years after his eventual retirement.

"From what I understand, what LeBron said to them was, 'You have to hire somebody who is for beyond just me. I might be here for another year. I might be here for two years. You've got to make a decision that's built around Anthony Davis. That's built around what the Lakers need for the next decade, not just what I need.'"

- Brian Windhorst, ESPN

As surprising as this may be, it makes plenty of sense. It also has the Lakers' best interest in mind. Even if James were to re-sign in Los Angeles, in the best-case scenario, he only has a few years left with the Lakers. Anthony Davis, on the other hand, is 31 years old and should presumably have more seasons of All-NBA level play left in him.

If it's true that Davis has his concerns about Redick, going for the best college coach in the game right now in Dan Hurley is a smart move. It sounds like the Lakers asked James for his input on the decision and he gave them the green light. Otherwise, it would have been too big of a risk for the Lakers' top brass to hire anyone but JJ Redick.

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