The Los Angeles Clippers are planning to pursue a contract extension with coach Ty Lue that will prevent him from entering the final year of his current deal in 2025-26, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Lue was named as a target in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ coaching search on Friday after the organization fired Darvin Ham. Other Lakers’ coaching candidates include Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, and JJ Redick.
The Clippers’ 2023-24 season ended Friday night with a Game 6 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference first-round playoff series.
How realistic is it that Ty Lue could be the next coach of the Lakers? @wojespn reports on NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/70gtJacoNZ
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 3, 2024
According to NBA insiders, that outcome has no bearing on the Clippers’ goal to keep Ty Lue as the franchise’s long-term coach. The Clippers were 51-31 (.622) and the fourth seed in the Western Conference this season.
Although Lue has already said that he wants to remain with the Clippers, he said it is “great to be wanted” when reporters asked about other teams’ interest in signing him.
“I didn’t come here to bounce around and go all over the place,” he said after Friday’s loss to Dallas. “And Mr. [Steve] Ballmer, Lawrence [Frank], Mark [Hughes], Trent [Redden], Gillian [Zucker], they’ve all been great to me.
“This is where I want to be, and hopefully they feel the same way. So I haven’t had a bad experience since I’ve been here. Mr. Ballmer showed me a lot of different things that I wouldn’t be privy to if I wasn’t here.
“… Just having a great relationship with the owner, with the front office, it is great. And so I would love to be here long term.”
Los Angeles Clippers also plan to re-sign free agents Paul George, James Harden alongside Kawhi Leonard this offseason
The Clippers were without six-time All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard for most of their first-round series because of right knee inflammation. However, Lawrence Frank, the Clippers president of basketball operations, intends to re-sign free agents Paul George, and James Harden alongside Leonard.
The Lakers offered Lue their head-coaching job in 2019, but he turned it down when the sides couldn’t agree on terms, per Wojnarowski. In the 2020-21 season, Lue led the Clippers to their first Western Conference finals appearance in franchise history.
Of course, the Clippers have advanced to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. The team has the NBA’s sixth-best record since 2020-21 under Lue, at 184-134, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“I didn’t come here to bounce around and go all over the place… I would love to be here long term.”
Clippers HC Ty Lue on his future with LA pic.twitter.com/yfp5JKibMJ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 4, 2024
Three games into the 2023-24 season, the Clippers traded for Harden with the Philadelphia 76ers by sending Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick swap, and an additional first-round pick from a third team.
Following the trade, the Clippers lost six straight games — including five with Harden in the lineup. Lue moved veteran guard Russell Westbrook to the bench, in efforts to help improve his team’s offensive efficiency. The plan worked. L.A. went on a 26-5 run and held the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference standings on Feb. 6.
Ty Lue is 312-217 (.590) overall in the regular season, 52-33 (.612) in the playoffs
Furthermore, Lue earned Western Conference Coach of the Month honors for December and January.
Injuries arguably derailed the Clippers’ season. Leonard missed the final eight games of the regular season with inflammation in his right knee.
Additionally, the 12-year veteran missed Game 1 of the playoffs before returning for Games 2 and 3. Though, his surgically repaired knee didn’t respond the way he had hoped, which led to his absences in Games 5 and 6.
Lue won an NBA championship as the Cavaliers’ coach with LeBron James in 2016 and served as the Eastern Conference coach of the All-Star Game that same year.
The Missouri native is 312-217 (.590) overall in the regular season and 52-33 (.612) in the playoffs.
