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Report: Cavs, Lue progressing toward contract extension

Jason Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the process of negotiating a contract extension with head coach Tyronn Lue, with both sides confident an agreement will be reached in short order, sources told Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes.

Though he was initially reported to have accepted a three-year, $9.5-million extension immediately upon taking over the fired David Blatt midway through the regular season, it was revealed during the playoffs that he never actually signed any new deal, instead restructuring the four-year, $6.5-million deal he was working under as a Cavs assistant so that it expired this summer.

Part of Lue's reluctance was reportedly out of respect to his predecessor. Lue didn't want to give the impression that he was benefiting financially from Blatt's firing, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

The irony - if indeed those were Lue's reasons - is that in declining the deal, he now stands to make far more than he would have if he'd accepted it. After guiding the Cavs to the first championship in franchise history, Lue looks set to cash all the way in.

Given some of the deals handed out to coaches this offseason (five years, $35 million for Scott Brooks; four years, $22 million for Frank Vogel; three years, $18 million for Dwane Casey), that $9.5-million offer should look like chump change compared to what Lue ultimately gets.

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