Ty Lue Reacts to Reports Lakers Are Recruiting Him

The search for the next Los Angeles Lakers head coach has officially started. The Lakers parted ways with former head coach Darvin Ham on Friday, and they will now search for their 29th head coach in franchise history. 

The search will be meticulous and thorough. While there are numerous deserving candidates, the purple and gold have set their sights on Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who is currently employed. 

Lue is a strong contender for the Lakers' head coach position if he becomes available. The history is there, and relationships are already established. After the Clippers' elimination from the playoffs on Friday, the 47-year-old coach addressed the rumors that the Lakers were recruiting him. 

The former Lakers champion said it's "great to be wanted." 

While many Laker fans and the front office would want to hire Lue, his chances of becoming available are very thin. A couple of hours after the rumors of Lue and the Lakers leaked, the Clippers got in front of it and announced they were planning to pursue a contract extension. If they come into agreement, he will avoid entering the final year of his deal in 2025-26.

In his post-game press conference, Lue told reporters, including ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, that he wants to remain a Clipper. 

"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."

The Lakers offered Lue the job in 2019, but he turned it down when the sides couldn't agree to terms. After that, he decided to become the assistant on the Clippers staff with then-head coach Doc Rivers. 

Los Angeles may need to look for another potential head coach who isn't tied to a team like Lue is. 

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