Report: 'Mutual Interest' Between Philadelphia 76ers, Clippers Assistant Ty Lue
On Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers fired head coach Brett Brown following the team's elimination from the 2020 NBA Playoffs. According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski, LA Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue is a leading candidate to take over the role.
In an ESPN story, Wojnarowski notes that Philadelphia's plan will focus on Lue, and there's expected to be mutual interest between the two parties.
Lue, who is currently an assistant on Doc Rivers' coaching staff, already has plenty of postseason experience. He won a title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and brought the team to the NBA Finals in the two seasons that followed before he was fired shortly after the beginning of the 2018-2019 season.
Lue joined LA's coaching staff last summer, though his future with the team was always considered to be short-term. Rivers has had high praise for Lue throughout his coaching career and was especially upset after he parted ways with the Cavaliers.
The 76ers could certainly benefit from having a new face within the organization. The team was swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the postseason, an outcome that few could have predicted given how much talent Philadelphia has on the roster. Ben Simmons missed the entire series after undergoing surgery on his knee, but Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris, among others, played all four games.
Lue obviously has a history of coaching All-Star-caliber players as well, as he coached LeBron James and Kyrie Irving during his tenure in Cleveland.
In addition to the 76ers, the Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans are expected to take a hard look at Lue, as both franchises recently parted ways with their head coaches as well.
If Lue does indeed leave Los Angeles — and it's looking likely — he may take another piece of the Clippers organization with him. Per a report from Yahoo Sports, Lue is interested in having Chauncey Billups join his staff as an assistant, who currently serves as the team's TV analyst alongside Brian Sieman.
Rivers does have a talented staff behind him, including Sam Cassell and Rex Kalamian. Assuming Lue is out after this season, it wouldn't come as a surprise if either of those two takes Lue's old spot as the top assistant.
