The Los Angeles Clippers face elimination Friday night in Game 6 of their first-round NBA playoff series with the Dallas Mavericks, but the team wants to keep Tyronn Lue as its head coach.
The Clippers are working to offer Lue a contract extension that will keep him signed past the 2025-26 season, when his current contract expires. reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Several teams are expected to pursue Lue during the off-season training cycle, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers, who fired Darvin Ham on Friday following their playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Lue, 47, is in his fourth season as the Clippers’ coach, taking over as head coach after Doc Rivers was fired following the 2019-20 season. This season, Los Angeles compiled a 51-31 record and finished as the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Whether or not the Clippers recover to win their playoff series against the Mavericks will not affect their intention to sign Lue to a longer contract, according to ESPN. Kawhi Leonard has only appeared in two games of the series and is ruled out for Game 6.
The veteran striker has signed for three more seasons after agreeing a contract extension in January. But the Clippers’ other stars, Paul George and James Harden, are free agents after the season. The team hopes to re-sign both men and remain 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 where they lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games.
The Lakers pursued Lue for the head coaching job in 2019 after firing Luke Walton. However, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement and Lue joined Rivers’ Clippers team.
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.
This 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 Lakers player.
