The Los Angeles Lakers have no plans to interview any more candidates in their coaching search, hoping to extend a formal offer to Tyronn Lue in the coming days, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
Lue's biggest competition, Monty Williams, recently agreed to a five-year deal to coach the Phoenix Suns earlier Friday, making him the last and likely chip to become the next helmsman of the purple and gold.
The Lakers were likely encouraged by his strong rapport with LeBron James, a key ingredient missing from this past season under former coach Luke Walton.
Lue coached James for two-and-a-half seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning a championship together in 2016 and forging a strong relationship in their time together.
Many analysts and pundits signaled that in order to make the right hire, a candidate must already have James' respect, as it would be too difficult to build it over the course of an offseason and throughout the 2019-20 campaign.
Earlier reports leaned toward the idea of Lue becoming the Lakers' head coach from the start, given his familiarity with James and his underrated ability to draw Xs and Os, making him a well-rounded candidate for the job.
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