The Los Angeles Lakers were ready to hire former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue as their new main bench tactician, but the negotiations between the two parties went into a stalemate. A deal between Lue and the Lakers looked inevitable after one of their targets, Monty Williams, agreed to become the next head coach of the Phoenix Suns. In fact, according to Nick Wright of Fox Sports, Lakers owner Jeannie Buss, her family, and general manager Rob Pelinka already “signed off” on making Lue as their next coach.

However, Lakers advisor Kurt Rambis and his wife, Linda, who has been working with Jeanie Buss, opposed to the idea of signing Lue. They were able to convince the front office to hold off on any deal and continue the search process for a new coach in the coming weeks.

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According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Rambis is gaining more control in Los Angeles' basketball operations. In fact, he is now playing a major role in the coaching search. It remains to be seen if Rambis will eventually decide to sit down with Lue again after talking to more candidates.

Lue reportedly turned down a three-year deal worth $18 million, as he and his camp wanted a five-year contract. The Lakers also wanted to hire former Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd as one of Lue's assistant coaches. It is unclear if it was one of the reasons why the talks bogged down.