Tyronn Lue, Lakers end talks on coaching job
FILE – Head coach Tyronn Lue of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to a technical foul call during the first quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 19, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hannah Foslien/Getty Images/AFP
Negotiations between the Los Angeles Lakers and Tyronn Lue for the club’s head coaching vacancy have collapsed, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Lue had been in talks with the Lakers for several days about the possibility of replacing the departed Luke Walton.
However, the Times cited a person with knowledge of the negotiations on Wednesday as saying that the two sides had broken off discussions after failing to reach agreement on several stumbling blocks.
The Times said Lue and the Lakers were unable to agree on the make-up of the coaching staff.
Lue was also seeking a five-year contract while the Lakers were only prepared to offer a three-year deal worth $18 million.
Lue and Philadelphia assistant Monty Williams had both been interviewed twice for the position but Williams moved on after being hired by the Phoenix Suns.
Lue was seen as the clear front-runner for the job due to his close links to Lakers star LeBron James. James won an NBA championship with Cleveland under Lue’s guidance in 2016.
Lue, 42, also had a history with the Lakers, where he was a reserve point guard on the 2000 and 2001 championship-winning teams.
The Lakers have been in turmoil since a disappointing first season with James on the roster saw them miss the playoffs for a sixth straight season.
The faded NBA powerhouse was then rocked by the shock departure of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson on April 9 in a move that stunned the NBA.
Walton parted company with the team three days later.
