
The Los Angeles Clippers announced on Wednesday that they have signed their head coach Tyronn Lue to a new long-term contract extension.
The Clippers didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal, but The Athletic’ Shams Charania reports that it made Lue one of the highest-paid head coaches in the league. Reportedly, the contract is for five years and worth close to $70 million.
Lue was entering the final year of his contract before signing the extension. Keeping him with the organization for a long time was the priority for the Clippers, especially considering that he was linked with their cross-town rival Lakers at one point.
Ty Lue initially served as an assistant with the Clippers in the 2013-14 season and then again in 2019–20. Following the dismissal of Doc Rivers, Lue took over as the head coach for the 2020-21 season.
Lue made the Conference finals in his first season with the franchise and made two more playoff trips in the next three years. However, in both subsequent postseason appearances, the Clippers failed to make it out of the first round. This wasn’t entirely Lue’s fault as Clippers’ star players Kawhi Leonard and Paul George dealt with injuries that limited them or prevented them from playing in the playoffs.
“This is where I want to be,” Lue said in a 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.”
With Lue under contract for the foreseeable future, the Clippers will now turn to trying to lock their star players Paul George and James Harden, both set to become free agents, to new deals. The franchise previously also signed superstar Kawhi Leonard to a long-term extension.