The chances Tyronn Lue leaves Clippers for Lakers, per Woj

The LA Clippers are still in a heated playoff matchup against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Even with a Game 6 on Friday night, there are already a lot of rumors flying around Tyronn Lue and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lue is coaching with just one year left on his contract following this season, and following the Lakers dismissal of head coach Darvin Ham, everyone is eyeing a potential replacement on the market.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania named Lue as a possible candidate for the Lakers coaching job should he find his way off the Clippers.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, however, says he doesn’t believe Tyronn Lue is going anywhere.

“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 ESPN’s NBA Today. “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. This is an organization that, by all indications, however this series ends up, wants to re-sign Paul George, James Harden, try to improve that roster around those two, of course, and Kawhi Leonard. And that Ty Lue will still be the coach for them.

Woj: “The Clippers are determined to do a long-term deal with Ty Lue, I’m told. They want him to be their coach for a very long time. That’s a conversation that will happen after the playoffs are over, but they love the job he did this season.”

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also mentioned that former Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer is something that the Lakers will look at in their pursuit for a new leader.

“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.”

Lue has coached 318 games as Clippers head coach for four years now, leading them to a 184-134 record (.579). Lue also has a 13-16 playoff record with the Clippers, with 10 of those wins coming in the 2020-21 season. Since that postseason, the Clippers have been significantly hampered by injuries to their stars, playing 15 of the 29 playoff games without Kawhi Leonard and five without Paul George.

In his eight seasons as a head coach, Tyronn Lue has accumulated a 312-217 record (.590) in the regular season and a 54-36 postseason record (.600)

The Clippers take on the Mavs tonight at 6:30PM PST, and there’s still a chance that Tyronn Lue’s team finds a way to force a Game 7 back home in Los Angeles.