Tyronn Lue appears to be sticking around as the head coach of the LA Clippers, but it may ultimately be as a lame duck.
Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported on Friday that Lue is unlikely to agree to a contract extension with the Clippers this offseason, meaning the veteran coach could become a free agent as early as summer 2024. Haynes notes that Lue has two years left on his deal (with the second year being a team option).
The 46-year-old Lue, who coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title in 2016, has been at the controls for the Clippers since 2020. He led the team to their first-ever Western Conference Finals berth in 2021 and did well putting together a string of comeback wins with a shorthanded roster in 2022. But Lue lost a lot of goodwill last season with many of his tactics coming under question. While Lue has his flaws as a coach, it certainly hasn’t helped either that star players Kawhi Leonard and Paul George continue to be unavailable at crucial points of the season due to injury.
Lue was recently linked to a coaching job elsewhere in the West, but Haynes reports that no official contact was made with the Clippers in that regard. With rumors already emerging of a supposed disconnect between Lue and the Clippers organization, the 2023-24 campaign is looking like it could be Lue’s last dance in LA.
