Tyronn Lue will reportedly be one of highest-paid coaches in NBA

Tyronn Lue nearly became the head coach of the Lakers last year, but talks fell apart after Los Angeles was not willing to meet his contract demands. That apparently was not an issue with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Lue has agreed to a five-year deal with the Clippers that is worth somewhere around $7 million per year, according to Jovan Buha and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That salary will place him among the highest-paid coaches in the NBA behind only the biggest names such as Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Doc Rivers and maybe a couple of others.

Lue, who won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, wanted to be paid accordingly when he was negotiating with the Lakers last year. They reportedly offered him a three-year deal in the $18 million range, and Lue ended up backing out.

Skeptics will say Lue won a championship only because he had LeBron James on his roster, and that obviously can’t be ignored. Still, the NBA is a player’s league, and Lue has earned the respect of superstar players. He has a solid relationship with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George after spending the 2019-20 season as an assistant on Doc Rivers’ staff, which was likely the biggest factor in the Clippers’ decision to hire him.