According to ESPN Insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, negotiations between the Los Angeles Lakers and ex-Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, Tyronn Lue, have reached an impasse. As of this evening, there is no deal in the works to make Lue the franchise’s next head coach. Wojnarowski went on to report that discussions have included talks surrounding Lue’s potential contract as well as the assembly of his assistant coaching staff.
Among the Lakers’ hopes, according to Woj, is the inclusion of Jason Kidd on Lue’s coaching staff. Kidd reportedly made a strong impression with Los Angeles management during his head coaching interview. He has also had what is deemed to be a productive history developing the young talent of the Milwaukee Bucks during his time there as head coach.
From purely a speculative standpoint, Lue’s possible reluctance to include Kidd on his coaching staff may be influenced by his own coaching tenure with the Cavaliers. Lue himself was initially a runner-up to David Blatt in Cleveland’s head coaching search during the summer of 2014. Based on the strong impression that Lue made on Cavs management at the time, it was requested that Blatt include Lue as a member of his coaching staff. Blatt agreed and was eventually replaced by Lue as head coach in 2015. To this potential sticking point, Marc Stein followed up Woj’s report by offering the following.
