NBA Rumors: Tyronn Lue Pursued by Rockets, Pelicans for Assistant Coach Role

Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue has been pursued by the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans for a lead assistant role, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. However, per Charania, Lue's focus is on returning to the sidelines as a head coach.

Lue was fired by the Cavs in October after an 0-6 start to the 2018-19 campaign.

According to Charania, Houston reached out to Lue not long after his dismissal in Cleveland but has not made an offer recently. He played 21 games for the Rockets in 2004-05.

Lue has some connections to the Pelicans. He worked alongside New Orleans head coach Alvin Gentry on Doc Rivers' coaching staff with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013-14. Newly hired executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin served as the Cavs' general manager from 2014 to 2017; Lue became Cleveland's associate coach in 2014.

Lue went 128-83 in the regular season and 41-20 during the postseason with the Cavaliers from 2016 to 2018 and helped deliver the franchise's only championship (2016) in the process. He played a key role in helping the team reach four consecutive NBA Finals, with the latter three coming with as the head coach.

The 42-year-old was a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers' vacancy earlier this offseason. According to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, Lue withdrew his name from consideration earlier this month as the two sides were not able to reach an agreement on a contract:

Marc Stein of the New York Times added that the Lakers' desire to shape Lue's potential coaching staff also led to negotiations stalling:

Los Angeles ultimately hired former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel.