A new report claims the Los Angeles Clippers want to bolster their coaching staff for 2024-25 by bringing in popular former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy.
This will be a very interesting offseason for the Clippers. After being bounced in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs for a second straight season, the team’s front office has some big decisions to make. While they gave a near-max extension to Kawhi Leonard during the season, stars James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook are all free agents this summer.
Making sure they bring back all or most of that core for next season will be a top summer priority for the franchise. But it seems that the organization is looking to improve its coaching staff after giving head coach Ty Lue a five-year, $70 million extension last month.
On Thursday, veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein revealed in a new substack report that “the LA Clippers have strong interest in hiring Celtics special adviser Jeff Van Gundy as a high-profile addition to Tyronn Lue’s coaching staff for next season.”
After being shockingly fired from ESPN’s NBA broadcast team last year, Van Gundy took a job with the Eastern Conference champions as an advisor, and there have been rumblings Boston could look to add him to their staff for next season as well.
- Jeff Van Gundy record: 430-318, 11 seasons
However, Stein claims some around the league believe the Clippers gig is actually the one that could bring the 62-year-old back to the coaching ranks for the first time since 2007. Van Gundy also turned down a chance to join Jason Kidd’s Dallas Mavericks staff before this season too.
Van Gundy is a beloved head coach among New York Knicks fans after taking them to their last NBA Finals trip and from an impressive run with the franchise. After quitting that job, he oversaw the Houston Rockets bench for four seasons between 2003 and 2007.
The only coaching work he has done since then is being on the USA Basketball staff for the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup.