Tyronn Lue is sticking with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Los Angeles confirmed Wednesday that it had signed Lue to a long-term contract. The agreement was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal, according to Wojnarowski, will make Lue one of the NBA's "highest-paid coaches."
Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic reported the deal is for five years and "nearly" $70 million.
"This is where I want to be," Lue said in a team 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."
The agreement comes after he was previously mentioned as a possible candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers' head coaching vacancy.
Lue was the subject of more than a few offseason rumors a year ago, with the Phoenix Suns believed to be highly interested in luring him away from the Clippers before they hired Frank Vogel.
Lue, for his part, said he wanted to return, and the Clippers publicly echoed a similar sentiment.
"Of course he's back," president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told reporters in April 2023. "Ty is a terrific coach, and we're excited to have him as our coach."
B/R and TNT's Chris Haynes also reported in May 2023 that "Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is a huge fan of Lue and the two have a great relationship. They hold routine game-day meetings in Lue's office."
So while rumors swirled, it always seemed likely Lue would stick around.
In his first four seasons as the team's head coach, the 47-year-old led the Clippers to a 184-134 record and three playoff appearances, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season.
However, persistent injuries to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George resulted in an L.A. team that has underachieved in the star duo's time together. This season, Lue was tasked with finding the right lineup balance for the Clippers after the team acquired James Harden in a trade, eventually settling on bringing Russell Westbrook off the bench.
That move rejuvenated the team, giving them the look of a serious contender. But the end result was still a first-round elimination against the Dallas Mavericks.
Lue was appointed to the post after Doc Rivers was fired following the 2019-20 season, ending his seven-year tenure. Lue worked for one year on Rivers' staff after being fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers six games into the 2018-19 campaign.
Lue spent parts of four seasons as Cleveland's head coach, leading the team to three NBA Finals and a 2015-16 NBA championship. He also spent parts of 11 seasons in the league as a journeyman point guard.
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