The Los Angeles Clippers face elimination on Friday in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series with the Dallas Mavericks, but the team wants to keep Tyronn Lue as its head coach.
The Clippers are working on offering Lue a contract extension that will keep him signed past the 2025-26 season, when his deal is set to expire, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Several teams are expected to pursue Lue during the offseason coaching cycle, notably the Los Angeles Lakers, who fired Darvin Ham on Friday after their playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Lue, 47, is in his fourth season coaching the Clippers, having taken over as head coach after Doc Rivers was dismissed following the 2019-20 season. This season, Los Angeles compiled a 51–31 record and finished as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
Whether the Clippers rally to win their playoff series against the Mavericks will not have an effect on the intention to sign Lue to a longer deal, according to ESPN. Kawhi Leonard has appeared in only two games of the series and has been ruled out for Game 6.
The veteran forward is signed for three more seasons after agreeing to a contract extension in January. But the Clippers’ other star players, Paul George and James Harden, are free agents after the season. The team hopes to re-sign both of them and continue being a strong playoff and championship contender under Lue.
Overall, Lue has a 184–134 record with the Clippers with three playoff berths, including an appearance in the 2021 West finals, in which the team lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games.
The Lakers pursued Lue for their head-coaching position in 2019 after firing Luke Walton. However, the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement, and Lue joined Rivers’ staff with the Clippers.
Lue has been an NBA head coach for eight seasons, compiling a 312–217 record including six playoff berths and an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the Boston Celtics in 2011.
That followed an 11-year playing career with the Lakers, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks. He won two championships as a player with the Lakers.
