Two weeks ago, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer indicated that the Milwaukee Bucks were interested in Ty Lue. The head coach of the 2016 NBA champion still has one year left on his contract with the Clippers. Today, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said he believes the Clippers “won’t mind” moving on from Lue as head coach amid Suns head coach rumors.
Smith may not be the most closely linked figure in the NBA, but he’s not the first to speculate on the subject. There were rumors during the 2022-23 season about Lue possibly not returning next season. Those were quickly squandered once the Clippers made the playoffs.
However, they would lose to the Phoenix Suns in five games. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were both injured in that series. While the Suns may be interested in Lowe as head coach, he won’t be available until the 2024-25 season.
"[The Suns] would love to get their hands on Ty Lue… From what I'm hearing out here in LA, the Clippers probably wouldn't mind him being gone, but Ty Lue wouldn't mind being gone. They're just not ready to make that move right now."
— Stephen A. Smithpic.twitter.com/GQsQXQShVE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 24, 2023
says Stephen A. Smith said the Clippers “won’t mind” breaking up with Tai Lo
The Phoenix Suns will have to get permission from the Los Angeles Clippers to speak with head coach Tai Lo. A deal must happen to make Lue the head coach for next season. One year left on his contract with the Clippers. Even though those potential hurdles in hiring Lue needed to be removed, they were still interested in him.
Conversely, NBA insider Shams Charania reports that Phoenix has narrowed its search for coaches to four finalists. Ty Lue was not one of the four. The finalists were Doc Rivers, Nick Nurse, Kevin Young, and Jordi Fernandez.
Trading with a head coach in the NBA is a very rare circumstance in the league. This last happened when the Brooklyn Nets traded head coach Jason Kidd to the Bucks for two second-round picks. In addition, Doc Rivers was traded from the Celtics to the Clippers in exchange for a first-round draft pick.