Could Ty Lue Become Available as 76ers Search for New Head Coach?

As the 2023 NBA Playoffs wind down, the NBA’s head coaching market has become crowded with a handful of notable candidates. This year, the Philadelphia 76ers will have to pick a new prospect as they parted ways with Doc Rivers after three seasons on Tuesday.

So far, Philadelphia has been linked to multiple candidates. Among the coaches on the Sixers’ radar are Mike Budenholzer, Frank Vogel, Monty Williams, Nick Nurse, Sam Cassell, and Mike D’Antoni.

As the Sixers plan to take their time finding the right candidate, additional prospects could be considered in the near future, as current assistants could intrigue Philadelphia, and current head coaches could still become available during the search.

Keep An Eye on Ty Lue?

When the Los Angeles Clippers cut ties with Doc Rivers after seven seasons, the Sixers were in the midst of a head coaching search following Brett Brown’s run. At the time, the Sixers were reportedly down to two candidates; Mike D’Antoni and Ty Lue.

Once Rivers hit the open market, he leapfrogged the two candidates mentioned above and signed a five-year contract with the Sixers. Los Angeles then retained Lue and promoted him to the head coaching position to replace Rivers.

Since taking over as the Clippers’ head coach, Lue’s team has gone 133-103 over the last three years. They made the playoffs twice and have gone 11-13 during those runs. In 2021, the Clippers came up short in the Western Conference Finals. This year, they lost in the first round.

While the Clippers have lacked luck in the health department, Lue has received his fair share of criticism, as head coaches typically do when championship-contending rosters fail to meet expectations.

As the Clippers once again failed to make a notable run in the Western Conference, Lue was linked to the Phoenix Suns’ coaching job after they parted ways with Monty Williams. In the event that Lue suddenly becomes available, Phoenix would probably pounce on the opportunity to potentially hire the one-time champion head coach.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report noted that Lue’s representatives met with the Clippers this week to discuss the coach’s future with the organization. Although Lue has two more years left on his current contract, it seems he might be looking for a new deal.

“This meeting comes on the heels of Marc Stein's report that the Phoenix Suns are expected to explore the possibility of poaching Lue from the Clippers. … If both sides were to agree to an expanding the pact, it would likely come in the form of a new deal rather than an extension, sources say.”

Two things of note in the report. One, Haynes highlights that Lue and Clippers’ ownership have a “great relationship.” Two, Haynes added that Lue’s situation is still “one to monitor.”

In the event that Lue becomes available, the Sixers could jump at the opportunity to re-visit discussions they had back in 2020 when he was a candidate following Brown’s tenure. However, with the Clippers leaving little indication they plan to move on from Lue at this time, that scenario seems like a long shot.