Ty Lue isn't going anywhere.
The LA Clippers head coach agreed to a contract extension with the organization, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday. Wojnarowski reported that Lue, who had just one year left on his deal, will now become one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches.
After spending four seasons as the Cleveland Cavaliers' head coach, leading the team to three NBA Finals and one NBA championship, Lue joined the Clippers in 2019 as an assistant under Doc Rivers. Lue took over as head coach after Rivers and the Clippers parted ways following a disappointing second-round playoff exit in the 2020 Orlando bubble.
The Clippers have a 318-184 regular season record and three playoff appearances under Lue. The team reached its first-ever conference finals in 2020-21, Lue's first year at the helm. The Clippers have not won a playoff series since, missing the playoffs completely after reaching the Play-In Tournament in 2021-22 and getting eliminated in the first round in each of the last two seasons.
Injuries have played a factor in the Clippers' success. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have only played together in 45% of all games since Lue took over, going 97-47 in that span, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Leonard played just two games in the Clippers' first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks this postseason, which the Mavericks won in six games.
The team is heading into an offseason of uncertainty with several stars. While Leonard signed a three-year, $153 million extension with the team in January, George and newly acquired James Harden can leave in free agency.
Lue's extension also comes ahead of the Clippers' move from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, next season.
