Report: Lakers Want Second Meeting With Tyronn Lue, Monty Williams About Head Coaching Vacancy
Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue met with the Lakers on Friday for approximately 90 minutes, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
According to Wojnarowski, Lue was scheduled to meet Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka in Southern California to discuss the team's head coaching vacancy.
After a productive conversation on Friday, Los Angeles would like to have another, more in-depth meeting with Lue, who emerged as a top candidate alongside 76ers assistant Monty Williams. The team would reportedly like to meet with both for a second time as soon as next week, per ESPN. Pelinka met with Williams on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
The Lakers will also reportedly interview Miami assistant Juwan Howard on Tuesday as they continue in their coaching search.
Los Angeles's head coaching job was left open after the team fired Luke Walton last week. Walton led the Lakers to a 37–45 record this season and missed the playoffs for the sixth-straight season.
Lue reached the NBA Finals three times while coaching LeBron James and the Cavaliers, including an NBA championship in 2016. Lue was fired shortly after the start of the 2018-19 season. He finished his tenure in Cleveland with a 128–83 record.
Pelinka's next meeting with the Lakers is dependent upon the 76ers postseason schedule. The Sixers are leading the Brooklyn Nets 2–1 in the Eastern Conference playoff first-round series.