Ty Lue believes Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be Clippers for 'a long time'

Ty Lue isn't worried about Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George may be in their contract years, but new coach Ty Lue isn't worried about their future as Clippers.

Lue had an in-depth conversation with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, where he discussed his new position as head coach of the LA Clippers. 

One of the biggest topics discussed in the interview was the future of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who are both free agents after the 2020-21 season.

“I think Kawhi and PG are here to stay for a long time,” Lue said. “It’s just, I think in their situation and where they want to be is here with the Clippers. We’ve just got to make it a great environment, and we have to win.”

In the case of Kawhi Leonard, it seems very hard to see a scenario where he leaves the Clippers. He abandoned a highly likely repeat with the Toronto Raptors, where he would have the keys to the entire country of Canada, to join the Clippers. Leonard really wanted to come home, and turned down an opportunity to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The only scenario where something like that happens would be another repeat of the doomsday year the Clippers had in 2020.

In terms of Paul George, all indications look towards him really wanting to be a Clipper for a long time. He wanted to be drafted by the team and has stated numerous times throughout his career that they were his favorite team growing up. If he has another repeat of the 2020 playoffs though, the team may realistically not want him back.

While Ty Lue is inheriting a very good team, he's also in a very unenviable position; his seat will be incredibly scrutinized. Despite that, he welcomes the challenge.

“If you don’t have pressure, that means you’re not in a situation where you can win a championship,” Lue said. “I’ll welcome that pressure because I want to win. Anytime you have a chance to win a championship, there’s pressure.”