Report: Cavaliers make Tyronn Lue highest-paid assistant coach in NBA History
By Sam Richmond
While the Cleveland Cavaliers chose not to make Tyronn Lue its next head coach this offseason, they gave him a pretty incredible consolation prize.
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Cleveland hired Lue to be its associate head coach on Monday and now Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Cavs gave him quite the lucrative contract.
"To leave Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers to join coach David Blatt’s staff with the Cavaliers, Lue agreed to a four-year, $6.5 million deal, sources said. The contract’s final two years will pay Lue $1.75 million and $2 million, league sources said. The fourth year of the deal is a team option, sources said."
Given Lue left such a desirable situation in Los Angeles, it’s not surprising to hear that money was a huge factor in him heading to Cleveland with the hopes of making life easier for the first-year NBA coach Blatt.
"Cavaliers management grew fond of Lue during the interview process for the head-coaching job that ultimately went to Blatt and immediately pursued him for the associate head-coaching job. Rivers didn’t want to lose Lue from his Clippers staff, but the Cavaliers’ historic financial commitment made it impossible to turn down, sources said."
Lue played 11 years in the NBA, averaging 8.5 points and 3.1 assists for seven different NBA teams. He won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and 2001. He was also a member of Rivers’ staff in Boston from 2009-2013 before working with Doc in Los Angeles.