LA Clippers coach Ty Lue has agreed to a new long-term contract that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA, sources told KeynoteUSA on Wednesday.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank had been eager to secure Lue a new deal, and negotiations with his agent, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports, led to a deal finalized in the last few days, sources said.
Lue’s deal offers a significant element of stability for the Clippers with some roster uncertainty looming this offseason. In his stops with the Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he won the NBA championship in 2016, Lue has established himself as one of the most respected and sought-after coaches in the league.
The Clippers are determined to keep Paul George and James Harden in free agency, and the organization will move into the new, state-of-the-art Intuit Dome for the start of next season.
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Lue, who had one year left on his contract, has gone 184-134 (.579) in his four seasons with the Clippers, the sixth-best mark in the NBA in that stretch, according to KeynoteUSA Stats & Information.
Lue led the Clippers to the franchise’s first appearance in the Western Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season. As a franchise, the Clippers have suffered numerous injuries to star players during Lue’s tenure. Kawhi Leonard and George have been in the lineup for only 45% of Lue’s games as Clippers coach. He is 97-47 in those games, according to KeynoteUSA Stats & Information.
Lue has spent much of his tenure adapting lineups and schemes to address injuries to his stars. In 2023-24, Lue had to adapt when the Clippers traded for Harden just three games into the season. After the trade, the Clippers lost six straight games, including five with Harden in the lineup. Eventually, Lue and the Clippers turned their season around, including a 26-5 run that put them atop the Western Conference standings in early February.
Lue had to adjust again in April, when Leonard missed the final eight games of the regular season with inflammation in his right knee. Leonard missed Game 1 of the playoffs before returning for Games 2 and 3. However, Leonard’s surgically repaired knee did not respond as the team expected and the Clippers were without him for the remainder of a six-game losing series. against the Dallas Mavericks.
Lue is 312-217 (.590) in the regular season and 54-37 overall (.593) in the playoffs in his stops with the Cavaliers and Clippers.
Keynote USA
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