NBA insider sheds light on Lakers landing Ty Lue and Jason Kidd amid coaching vacancy
The LA Lakers seem to be adopting a strategy of assuming that the worst response they could receive is rejection in the early stages of their search for a new coach.
Jason Kidd and Ty Lue, both under contract with other teams, are among the most prominent names linked to the Lakers job. While Lue is at least in the final year of his current contract, securing either candidate appears to be a long shot for the Lakers.
They are aware of this challenge, though. In his latest Substack newsletter, veteran NBA journalist Marc Stein reported updates on Kidd and noted that the Lakers do not expect either him or Lue to be attainable.
“League sources say Kidd is also the likely recipient of a contract extension in the near future, having led Dallas to two 50-win seasons and three playoff series wins in four attempts in his three seasons as Mavericks coach.
Stein continued:
"I’m told that the Lakers, for their part, don’t anticipate Kidd becoming a coaching free agent any more than they expect to have a shot at Lue”.
It's far from certain that Lue or Kidd will be the Lakers coach next season, and their chances seem slimmer than ever. They were already considered long shots, to begin with.
The Lakers may need to shift their strategy towards other mentioned candidates, including assistants, former coaches, or even those outside these categories — like JJ Redick, for example, as it appears unlikely that they will secure a marquee hire during this search.
Ty Lue wants to remain with LA Clippers than move to LA Lakers
The brief period of speculation about Ty Lue becoming the next Lakers coach has come to an end.
Following the Clippers' first-round exit to the Mavericks in Game 6 on Friday, Lue addressed the media postgame and firmly dismissed the rumors connecting him to the hallway rivals.
Lue expressed his desire to stay with the Clippers and indicated that he has no interest in switching teams.
Securing Lue was always considered highly unlikely. He's under contract for the next season, but Brad Turner of the LA Times noted that his 2024-25 contract includes a team option and is partially guaranteed. Turner also mentioned that there have been no discussions about an extension yet.
That contrasts sharply with an earlier report by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, which said on Friday that both parties appeared open to negotiating an extension. It's possible that while negotiations haven't begun, both sides are indeed interested in an extension.
Additionally, Law Murray and Sam Amick of The Athletic confirmed that the final year of Lue's contract with the Clippers has been guaranteed, and last offseason, the Clippers prevented other teams from approaching Lue.