A Tyronn Lue-LeBron James reunion will not happen.
Lue quickly rejected the idea of joining the Los Angeles Lakers following the Los Angeles Clippers‘ early exit in the NBA Playoffs.
“I don’t have a comment on that,” Lue told reporters after Friday’s 114-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 which concluded the Clippers’ season. “It feels great to be wanted, but as I mentioned, I prefer to stay here and hopefully we can make that happen.”
After Darvin Ham was let go, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Shams Charania reported that Lue would immediately be considered for a coaching position with the Lakers if he leaves the Clippers after their early playoff departure.
However, the Clippers intend to negotiate a contract extension with Lue, who will enter the final year of his current deal in 2025-26, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“I didn’t come here to move around and switch teams,” Lue stated. “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.
“… Having a great relationship with the owner and the front office is wonderful. I would love to be here long term.”
James praised Lue after a Lakers win over Clippers in January.
“No, it’s the T-Lue Clippers,” James said when a reporter initially described them as “James Harden’s Clippers.” “I know T-Lue very well. It doesn’t take T-Lue long to make sure things get right. It took him five games, and they’ve been performing well since.”
Tyronn Lue Felt Disrespected by Lakers
Lue was the Lakers’ first choice in 2019 before they settled with Frank Vogel.
But Lue turned down the Lakers offer as he felt disrespected.
“The Lakers [saw it] more so as like [I’m just] coming to coach LeBron,” Lue told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk in 2022. “No, I’m coming to win. I just didn’t think I was treated fairly. And I wasn’t just going to accept any offer just to get a job.
“I just thought I was better than that.”
The Lakers made a low offer to Lue.
According to Youngmisuk, “the Lakers offered Lue a three-year deal worth $18 million, far below the five-year, $35-million deal he had with the Cavs, and wanted to dictate Lue’s staff.”
Lue began his NBA playing career with the Lakers and won two championships with them in 2000 and 2001.
The Other Coaching Candidates
Aside from Lue, four early coaching options have emerged for the Lakers.
Former Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, ESPN analyst JJ Redick and Boston Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee are all options, according to The Athletic.
Ham and Lee both worked as assistant coaches under Budenholzen in Milwaukee and Atlanta.
Atkinson was a former head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. He left the Nets shortly after Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving went to Brooklyn in 2019.
Meanwhile, Redick has been in the NBA for 16 years and has made a successful move into podcasting and broadcasting after retiring. He hosts the “Mind the Game” podcast with James.
Lee and Redick are also strong contenders for the Charlotte Hornets coaching position.
