Although the Los Angeles Lakers have Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue high on their wishlist after firing Darvin Ham, the Clippers “are planning to pursue a contract extension” with Lue “that will allow him to avoid entering the final year of his deal in 2025-26,” per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Clippers Throw Wrench in Lakers’ Ty Lue Plan
If anyone is wondering whether the interest is mutual, HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto reports that “Lue and his representative, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports Group, will look to secure a long-term extension this offseason.” He adds that “many in coaching circles around the league believe Lue will command a salary in line with some of the highest-paid coaches in the league.”
That said, the best evidence of Lue’s desire to remain with the Clippers came from the horse’s mouth. Just after being eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks, Lue was asked about his future with the team amid reports that L.A. is expecting to sign him to a long-term extension.
“I didn’t come here to bounce around and go all over the place,” Lue says. “Mr. Ballmer, Lawrence (Frank), Mark (Hughes), and Trent (Redden), Gillian (Zucker) all been great to me. This is where I want to be and hopefully, they feel the same way.”
“I haven’t had a better experience since I’ve been here,” Lue continues.
“Mr. Ballmer showed me a lot of different things that I wouldn’t be privy to if I wasn’t here. And Lawrence being an ex-coach who actually knows the game, who actually can talk basketball —offense and defense —and understand the game. So that’s really good for me as well. Trent Redden… I was in Cleveland [and] won a championship with, so we have a great relationship. And Mark Hughes, he actually coached me when I was in Orlando when he was with Doc (Rivers).”
“So just having a great relationship with the owner (and) with the front office is great,” he concludes. “I would love to be here long-term.”
With that, the Lakers’ unlikely future head coach becomes all but unattainable. Contract negotiations with the Clippers would have to fall through for him to become available. Even then, that wouldn’t be until next year at the earliest as there’s a team option on his contract for 2025-26.
Ultimately, in order for Lue to coach the Purple and Gold, Ballmer and Co. would have to completely reverse course. There’s no reason to believe that’ll happen, especially this summer.
There’s No Coach Quite Like Lue
The Lakers’ interest in Lue is understandable.
Aside from his background as a coach and player, he has a pronounced ability to get the best out of star players and to adjust when those same players are out of the lineup. For a team that’s hoping to be led by 39-year-old LeBron James and injury-prone Anthony Davis next season, those skills will likely come in handy. There’s no coach on the market that measures up to Lue when factoring in his intangibles.
That said, there are several intriguing head coach candidates out there. The Lakers may even need to consider going the international route, calling up Spanish national team head coach Sergio Scariolo.
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