NBA Rumors: Tyronn Lue Felt ‘Insulted’ Lakers Only Saw Him As Head Coach For LeBron James

Dan Duangdao
2 Min Read
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly a month after the Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Luke Walton, it appeared they were on the brink of hiring former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue.

As Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams became the Phoenix Suns head coach, the Lakers began contract negotiations with Lue on his 42nd birthday.

However, shortly after the two sides reportedly ‘reached an impasse,’ they ended negotiations and the Lakers will continue their head coaching search.

With the Lakers set to interview at least three new candidates, Lue was insulted by how they viewed him, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:

As other head coaches have received five-year deals, the three years the Lakers offered to Lue lined up with LeBron James’ deal if he exercises his player option:

Since former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson’s resignation, owner Jeanie Buss and company have been heavily criticized. As they have remained extremely quiet, this is another bad look for the team heading into an important offseason.

As Lue will not be reuniting with James in Los Angeles, one has to wonder how the latter feels about the situation. At this stage of his career, James wants to be competing for championships and only has a couple of seasons remaining in his future Hall of Fame career.

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Dan Duangdao was the managing editor at Lakers Nation (2013-16, 2018-20). He is currently the founder at LA Sports Media, Lake Show, Raiders Nation, Rams Nation, Kings Nation, Galaxy Nation, and MMA Rumors. Born and raised in Southern California and a lifelong Los Angeles sports and mixed martial arts fan, his first NBA game was Kobe Bryant and the Lakers against the Golden State Warriors with Michael Jordan in attendance during the 1998-99 NBA season. He was previously a contributor at HOOPSWORLD (now Basketball Insiders) and an NBA editor at ClutchPoints. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @DanDuangdao.
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