Ty Lue signed a contract extension to remain with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, the team announced. It's a five-year, $70 million deal, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, which would make Lue one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. Lue, who won the championship coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, has led the Clippers since the start of the 2020-21 season after joining Doc Rivers' staff for the 2019-20 campaign. He has a 184-134 record in Los Angeles and has taken the Clippers as far as the Western Conference finals, the only appearance there in franchise history, during his tenure.
While Lue has been under contract with the Clippers during that entire period, there has been significant interest in his services over the past two offseasons from other teams. The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns were both reportedly interested in Lue when they conducted coaching searches in 2023, and this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers were linked to Lue after failing to complete a deal with him in the 2019 offseason.
Now Lue is officially locked in with the Clippers long-term, and the price is steep. Last offseason, Monty Williams reset the coaching market when he signed a six-year, $78.5 million pact with the Detroit Pistons. Erik Spoelstra followed that up with an eight-year, $120 million deal this season, and while Steve Kerr didn't add as much length to his deal, he re-signed for $35 million in total over two years, topping the per-year value of Spoelstra's deal. Lue's deal, on a per-year basis, comes in above Williams and just below Spoelstra and Kerr, making him one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches.
Now that Lue is locked in, the Clippers will turn their attention toward retaining their own players. They extended star forward Kawhi Leonard during the season, but both Paul George and James Harden are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer. While Harden's market is limited, George will have a number of suitors, reportedly including the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic.
The Clippers will need all three of Leonard, George and Harden signed and healthy to mealueningfully compete for the title. They still have a ways to go on that front, but at least they know who will be coaching them as they move into the Intuit Dome next season and attempt to take that last step into the Finals.
