Lakers Rumors: Ty Lue 'Not Realistic' Darvin Ham Replacement Due to Clippers Contract

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski does not believe it is "realistic" for the Los Angeles Lakers to target the Los Angeles Clippers' Ty Lue as a candidate for head coach.

"I don't believe it's realistic based on this: Ty Lue still has a year left on his contract, and the Clippers are determined to do a long-term deal with Ty Lue," Wojnarowski said Friday on ESPN's NBA Today.

"I'm told they want him to be their coach for a very long time," Wojnarowski continued. "That's a conversation that will happen after the playoffs are over, but they love the job he did this season, they love the job that he's done there."

Wojnarowski reported earlier Friday that the Lakers were firing Darvin Ham after two seasons as head coach.

The Lakers would consider Lue as a candidate "if he becomes available," according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The Lakers were eliminated from the postseason Monday after losing in five games to the Denver Nuggets.

The first-round exit marks the second time in as many postseasons the Lakers have been bounced by the Nuggets.

The Clippers playoff run is meanwhile set to continue Saturday with Game 6 of their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks hold a 3-2 series lead, so Lue and the Clippers need a victory in order to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Lue heads into the elimination Game 6 with a 184-134 overall record in four regular seasons as the Clippers' head coach, as well as a 13-16 mark in the playoffs.

If he is able to lead the Clippers past the Mavericks, this postseason will mark the team's deepest run since their 2021 trip to the Western Conference Finals during Lue's first year as head coach.

The Lakers previously pursued Lue in 2019 before eventually signing former head coach Frank Vogel, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.

According to Youngmisuk, the Lakers at that time offered Lue a three-year, $18 million deal, at which point he "pulled out of negotiations" and accepted a five-year offer from the Clippers instead.

Last offseason, the Clippers responded to interest in Lue from the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks by guaranteeing the final 2024-25 season of his contract, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

If the Clippers are similarly protective of Lue this summer, the Lakers could turn their attention to pursuing another experienced candidate in former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who hasn't coached since his firing at the end of last season.