A person with knowledge of the situation said Tyronn Lue agreed to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Final terms were still being worked on, said the person who spoke to the Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because no contract had been signed.
Lue will replace Doc Rivers, who had coached the Clippers for the last seven seasons. Lue was on Rivers’ staff this season when the Clippers wasted a 3-1 lead over Denver and lost in the Western Conference semifinals.
ESPN first reported the agreement between Lue and the Clippers, saying it was a five-year deal.
Lue went 128-83 in parts of four seasons as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, taking over at the midpoint of the 2015-16 season and leading them to their first NBA title. He left the Cavs after six games of the 2018-19 season.
That 2016 title team had LeBron James, who just led the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2020 NBA title.
Lue also was a candidate for other jobs this offseason, including in Houston and New Orleans.
The Clippers — in the first season of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George playing together — went 49-23, the fourth-best record in franchise history.
