According to NBA insiders Sam Amick and Law Murray of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Clippers will block the Los Angeles Lakers from talking to Tyronn Lue.
Lue is expected to remain with the Clippers.
“The Clippers know they can’t upgrade on Lue,” Amick and Murray wrote. “They didn’t extend him last offseason, though they guaranteed the last year of the five-year contract he signed in 2020 to succeed Doc Rivers as head coach.
“Other teams were blocked from talking to Lue. According to team sources, that would be the case again if teams attempt to pry him away this offseason. Lue has already been tied to the Lakers’ vacancy, and his stellar reputation as a title-winning coach means he’d likely be in the running for any job that becomes open.”
Lue coached Lakers superstar LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA title over the Golden State Warriors, becoming the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals.
Lue and LeBron have a close relationship and the Lakers are interested in hiring Lue to replace Darvin Ham.
However, the Clippers plan to pursue an extension with Lue.
The Clippers lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2024 playoffs in six games. The franchise has never been to the NBA Finals.
Lue is 184-134 in the regular season and 13-17 in the playoffs with the Clippers.
“I hope so,” Lue said when asked after Game 6 if he would remain with the Clippers. “I didn’t come here to bounce around and go all over the place. Mr. Ballmer, Lawrence, (senior vice president and assistant general manager) Mark (Hughes), (general manager) Trent (Redden), (president of business operations) Gillian (Zucker), they’ve all been great to me. This is where I want to be, and hopefully they feel the same way.”
It will be fascinating to see who the Lakers hire to replace Ham. They have been linked to JJ Redick, Kenny Atkinson, Mike Budenholzer and Charles Lee.
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