According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Tyronn Lue has agreed to a deal to join Doc Rivers on the LA Clippers’ coaching staff.
Nearly a week ago, rumors were circulating that former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue was close to completing a deal that would reunite him with Doc Rivers on the LA Clippers’ coaching staff. Now, Lue and the Clippers have come to terms on an agreement, according to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.
Last Wednesday, ESPN’s Marc Stein was the first to report a link between Lue and the Clippers. On Twitter, Stein noted that Lue was once considered the most likely candidate to take the Los Angeles Lakers’ vacant head coaching position this summer, which was eventually filled by Frank Vogel.
Lue’s first head coaching job was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but before that, he was part of Rivers’ staff with both the Boston Celtics and the LA Clippers. He spent four seasons with the Cavaliers (though he didn’t become head coach until halfway through the first season and was fired six games into the fourth season), guiding the team to a combined record of 128-83 and three NBA Finals appearances — one of which ended with Cleveland earning its first-ever title.
Since being fired by the Cavaliers, Lue had spent some time around Rivers and the LA Clippers. In December of 2018, Rivers brought in Lue in an informal role, and he spent a significant amount of time around the team. After his fallout with the Lakers this summer, it makes sense that Rivers would want to have him back on his staff.
Lue will join a Clippers coaching staff that features the likes of Sam Cassell and Rex Kalamian, and he should complement them well. At the very least, he’s another talented mind that will strengthen the team even further.
The addition of Lue is just one more signing the Clippers can boast about making this offseason. The organization already “won” free agency by landing both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and they managed to retain key role players like Patrick Beverley and JaMychal Green as well. This past week, they also brought in future Hall of Fame point guard Chauncey Billups to serve as color analyst alongside play-by-play commentator Brian Sieman.
All the LA Clippers need to do now is win a title, and with the roster they’ve established this offseason, that’s something they could certainly achieve as soon as the 2019-2020 season.