Clippers agree to extension with coach Ty Lue after Lakers rumors

The LA Clippers are keeping head coach Ty Lue in the fold — and away from their crosstown rivals.

The Clippers have reached an agreement with Lue on a significant contract extension. Lue’s new contract is for five additional years and nearly $70 million, per The Athletic, making Lue one of the highest-paid head coaches in the NBA.

It had been widely anticipated inside and outside the NBA that the Clippers would end up extending Lue, who entered the offseason with just one year left on his contract after LA lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs with an injured Kawhi Leonard. 

However, the move now officially ends any speculation that Lue could be lured away by the Los Angeles Lakers, who infamously were reportedly close to hiring him in 2019 before the tentative agreement fell through due to the Lakers’ low contractual offer. The Lakers had reported interest in hiring Lue after dismissing Darvin Ham following their own first-round playoff loss, but buzz between the Lakers and Lue seemingly faded in recent weeks.

[Los Angeles Lakers next head coach odds: JJ Redick becomes bigger favorite]

Lue started his NBA playing career with the Lakers and was part of the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal championship teams in 2000 and 2001, and he also guided current Lakers star LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to a historic NBA Finals title in 2016 after taking over as Cleveland head coach earlier that season.

Lue ended up returning to the Clippers instead that season for his second stint as an assistant coach under Doc Rivers, then took over as the team’s head coach after Rivers’ departure in 2020. He led the Clippers to their first-ever Western Conference finals in his first season as coach there, but LA has flamed out in the playoffs in each of the three years since amid numerous injuries to Leonard and fellow superstar Paul George. 

The Clippers now face the daunting task of attempting to keep George and early-season trade acquisition James Harden in free agency this summer.

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