The Los Angeles Clippers and head coach Ty Lue have agreed to a new multi-year contract extension which will run through the 2028-29 NBA season.
The deal, which will come in at close to $14M annually, will make Lue one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches.
“This is where I want to be,” Lue said in a prepared statement. “I’ve loved coaching this team for the past four years and I’m excited to head into a new era at Intuit Dome. I’m grateful to Steve, Lawrence and the entire organization for the opportunity. With our ownership, front office, roster, staff and arena, we have all the advantages we need to win in the present and the future, and I’m confident we will.”
Los Angeles is the 2nd stop in Lue’s coaching career after helping guide the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA championship back in 2016. Over the course of his 8 year coaching career, the 47 year old has amassed a 312-217 (.590) regular season slate, and a 54-37 (.593) playoff record.
“T Lue is everything we want in a head coach,” Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He’s a brilliant tactician and a natural leader with an extraordinary ability to connect with those around him, both players and staff. Four years ago, we felt privileged to hire T Lue, and we feel just as fortunate today. There’s no one we’d rather coach our team. T Lue is a pillar of the organization and will be for a very long time.”
After going 51-31 in 2023-24, the Clippers ultimately bowed out in the 1st round of the playoffs, losing in 6 games to the Dallas Mavericks. This offseason will prove to be a pivotal one for the franchise as both James Harden and Paul George could potentially leave town in free agency.
Despite posting a 184-134 (.579) record in his 4 seasons with LA, many believe Lue and the Clippers haven’t scratched the surface of their potential, due in large part to injuries to star players. Throughout his tenure, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have only been on the court together for a shade under 45% of the games Lue has coached.
And after mortgaging their future with a series of “win now” style moves, that ultimately haven’t paid off, Los Angeles could be in trouble if they fail to bring back Harden and PG13 this offseason.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.