Clippers extend Tyronn Lue's contract, making him one of NBA's highest-paid coaches
Tyronn Lue and the Clippers agreed to a five-year, $70-million contract extension that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA, according to people with knowledge of the deal not authorized to speak publicly about it.
The Clippers announced the extension Wednesday but did not disclose terms.
The sides had been making progress on a deal, with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank both focused on reaching an agreement while negotiating with Lue’s agent, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports, according to a person familiar with the talks not authorized to discuss them publicly.
By keeping Lue, who is considered one of the best coaches in the NBA, the Clippers have one of their foundation pieces for their move into Intuit Dome next season. Lue had one year left on his contract.
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After the Clippers lost to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the Western Conference playoffs, Lue expressed his desire to stay with the team and to get a deal done, saying he “didn’t come here to bounce around, go all over the place.”
“This is where I want to be and hopefully they feel the same way,” Lue said after the short-handed Clippers were eliminated. “I haven’t had a better experience since I’ve been here. Mr. Ballmer showed me a lot of different things that wouldn’t be privy to if I wasn’t here. ... So, just having a great relationship with the owner, the front office, it’s great. And, so, I would love to be here long term.”
Lue led the Clippers to a 51-31 record this season, which was fourth best in the West and represented their most wins since 2016-17. He has a 184-134 record in four seasons and led the franchise to its first conference finals in 2020-21. Since then, however, the Clippers have not advanced past the first round.
Lue had to navigate the Clippers through the end of this season and the playoffs without a healthy Kawhi Leonard, the team’s best player. Leonard missed the final eight regular-season games because of inflammation in his right knee and played in only two of the six games against the Mavericks.
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The Clippers also are hopeful that they can keep Paul George, who can opt out of his deal that pays him $48.7 million next season and become a free agent, and James Harden in free agency.
Frank praised Lue during his exit interview with the media after the Clippers’ season ended.
“Ty had a terrific year,” Frank said. “Our hope is that Ty is the coach of the L.A. Clippers for a long time. He’s an unbelievable partner. I love him as a person and as a coach. I think he’s one of the elite coaches ... So, our hope is that Ty is here for a long time.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
