The Los Angeles Lakers face a big offseason with multiple questions, including LeBron James‘ future. The team already took care of an important situation by firing head coach Darvin Ham on Friday.
Now, the question is who will take the reins next season. Shams Charania of The Athletic mentioned Tyronn Lue as a potential coaching candidate for the Lakers, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN doesn’t see it possible.
“I don’t believe it’s realistic based on this: Ty Lue still has a year left on his contract and the Clippers are determined to do a long-term deal with Ty Lue, I’m told,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Today, via ClutchPoints. “They want him to be their coach for a very long time. And so, listen, that’s a conversation that will happen after the playoffs are over, but they love the job he did this season. They love the job that he’s done there.”
Woj added that the Clippers will be looking to run things back regardless of how they fare in the 2024 NBA playoffs, as they plan to re-sign Paul George and James Harde while trying to upgrade the roster. And they still see Lue as the right man for the coaching job.
Of course, it makes sense they don’t want to lose their coach to the crosstown rivals. Besides, the 47-year-old is also coveted outside LA, which shows what a valuable asset the Clippers have.
Lakers once again looking for Lue, but there’s an alternative
According to Woj, the Lakers have already approached the former point guard before hiring Frank Vogel in 2019. It makes sense, since Ty Lue knows what is like to succeed with LeBron.
“Of course, the Lakers, they offered the job to Ty Lue back before Frank Vogel got it. They couldn’t come to terms on a deal and so you start to look out in the marketplace. Mike Budenholzer is probably the most accomplished coach available. He won a championship in Milwaukee, was also coach of the year in Atlanta.”
In the 2015-16, Lue took over as the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach halfway through the season and went on to celebrate the NBA championship with LeBron James on the team.
Many years later, the Lakers may be looking to put them back together. But in the event Lue stays with the other team of the city, Mike Budenholzer could emerge as a great alternative.
