Clippers never considered moving on from Tyronn Lue this season, say their 'plan is to win with Kawhi'

“Ty not being the coach was never, ever, ever a consideration. Even at our lowest point, when we were 6-21, there never ever was any conversation of Ty not being the coach,” Frank said Friday, via Clippers reporter Justin Russo.

“Ty’s going to be the coach here for a long, long time. And I think when you talk about partnerships, and you talk about stable organizations, when you have adversity or you go through tough stretches, you dig in, and you work really, really hard at identifying the problems. Everyone takes ownership of the issues. And then you come together and [say], ‘OK, how can we make things better?’

“I thought Ty and the staff did an unbelievable job of, every day, showing up with a great spirit and just kept at it.”

Frank was complimentary of how Lue managed a new-look roster down the stretch of the season. The Clippers changed things up drastically at the trade deadline.

They traded a 36-year-old James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers and a now-29-year-old Ivica Zubac, as well as Kobe Brown, to the Indiana Pacers. In return, the Clippers got back two-time All-Star guard Darius Garland from the Cavs, plus emerging wing Bennedict Mathurin, young forward Isaiah Jackson and some much-needed draft assets — namely two first-round picks — from the Pacers.

One constant was Leonard, who averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game this season and reminded the world of his dominance during this year’s All-Star Game.

Leonard was asked about his Clippers future after the team’s play-in tournament loss to the Warriors on Wednesday. He deflected, saying, “Let me cry about this loss a little bit more.”

He added: “We’re gonna have our discussions when that time comes.”

Frank was much less cryptic about his plans.

“Our plan is to win with Kawhi,” Frank said Friday. “At the appropriate time, we’ll sit down with Kawhi and, very similar to 2024, lay out our plan. And if our goals are aligned, then we’d like to win with Kawhi.”

Leonard previously won an NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP award with both the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors. He will turn 35 in June and is entering the final year of a contract extension he signed in 2024.

Leonard has spent the past seven years with the Clippers — playing six seasons in the process — and Lue has been the team’s coach practically Leonard’s entire stay in L.A.

The Clippers have been competitive. Frank wants them to contend again. He made it clear Friday that he believes Leonard and Lue can help them do that.