Tyronn Lue may hold a slight edge over the other candidates for the Los Angeles Clippers' and Houston Rockets' head coaching vacancies.
Prominent players from both teams support the hiring of Lue as their next head coach, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.
Wojnarowski and MacMahon did not name specific players, but each team has its share of stars whose preferences could drastically tip the search in Lue's favor.
The Clippers need a new head coach to quickly lead their squad to a title before Kawhi Leonard and Paul George potentially hit free agency next year. The Rockets, meanwhile, have both James Harden and Russell Westbrook in the fold and are searching for a bench boss who can take them to The Finals for the first time since 1995.
Lue is coming off his first season in Los Angeles as the lead assistant on Doc Rivers' staff. He has reportedly been the front-runner to be the Clippers' next head coach since Rivers and the franchise parted ways on Sept. 28.
But the Rockets may try to beat the Clippers to the punch.
Houston could reportedly make an offer to Lue before the Clippers complete their coaching search, though sources told Wojnarowski and MacMahon that's unlikely to happen before the Rockets interview fellow candidate Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy is scheduled to meet with the Rockets on Wednesday, sources told Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Lue reportedly met with the Clippers earlier in October, and Stein reports he spoke with the Rockets on Monday.
The 43-year-old led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the franchise's only NBA championship in his first season as an NBA head coach in 2015-16. He then steered the team to back-to-back Finals appearances but was fired after an 0-6 start to the 2018-19 campaign.