Even before the Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham after he had been their head coach for the last two seasons, there was speculation that they wanted to go after Tyronn Lue to fill Ham’s spot.
Lue has been the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers for the last four seasons, and before that, he had coached LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers for two-and-a-half seasons.
While he may not be a great coach, he is a proven one. His Cavaliers won the NBA championship in 2016 after overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, who had won a record 73 games in the regular season that year.
The only way Lue would’ve been a real option for the Lakers would’ve been if he had turned down a contract extension from the Clippers and quit his job. But that will not be happening, as he has reportedly agreed to an extension.
Via ESPN:
“LA Clippers coach Ty Lue has signed a new deal through the 2028-2029 season that will make him one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches at approximately $14 million per year, sources told ESPN,” wrote Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Lakers have moved on and interviewed other candidates. Former sharpshooter JJ Redick seems to be the favorite to land their head coaching gig, but they also had a second interview scheduled with James Borrego on Wednesday.