SARATOGA SPRINGS — Rick Pitino doesn’t expect Dan Hurley to leave Connecticut and accept the big-money offer from the Lakers.
“What I’m hearing is, [inside information] — His father [Bob Hurley Sr.] and his wife [Andrea] “He has some very strong horses in his life and they don’t want to go,” Pitino told The Post from a box seat in the grandstand at Saratoga Race Course, which is hosting a four-day horse racing event highlighted by Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.
“I think he’ll give it a try. [John] “Either Calipari tried it or I tried it,” said Pitino, who is in his second year as head coach at St. John’s. “I don’t think he’ll take the job, but I think he’ll try to go pro at some point.”
The amounts vary widely: Hurley makes $5.2 million a year at Connecticut and could be offered as much as $15 million a year by the Lakers.
But the situation is reminiscent of when Pitino signed a 10-year, $70 million contract with the Celtics in 1997 after leading Kentucky to a national championship in 1996 and a trip to the Finals the following year.
Pitino played just three seasons in Boston and went 102-146. He recently spoke on the “Pardon My Take” podcast His biggest regret in his career is leaving Kentucky at that time.
Asked if he had any advice for Hurley, the 71-year-old Pitino said: “I’m not going to recommend him for or against. Everybody’s different, every role is different. He’ll probably be offered $150 million.”
“But one thing I can say is that when you make that amount of money, money doesn’t matter. He has more than enough money in the state of Connecticut. Money isn’t an issue. He’s going to have a great life anyway, so money shouldn’t figure into the equation.”
Pitino is in Saratoga to support his friend and St. John’s benefactor Mike Lepore, who owns two horses, Mind Frame and Protective, who will run in the 156th Belmont Stakes.
