In 17 seasons as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Clippers, Dunleavy had an overall record of 613-716 — a figure that should come with the caveat that he coached the Clippers during some lean years. As the team’s general manager, he drafted Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. But Dunleavy did not stick around long enough to see them blossom.

His run with the organization came to an end in 2010 when he was fired by Donald Sterling, the team’s owner at the time. When Sterling refused to pay Dunleavy the money that was contractually owed him — Sterling accused Dunleavy of “defrauding” the organization — Dunleavy sued the franchise. He was awarded $13 million in arbitration.

In recent years, Dunleavy kept busy. He worked as an analyst for NBA TV and hosted a satellite radio show. He played golf. (“My game improved greatly,” he said.) He joined a group that tried to buy the New Orleans Pelicans but failed after lowering its bid. (“That was dumb,” he said.) He also spent time at Villanova, which won the national championship last season. The experience moved him.

Throughout his hiatus, Dunleavy knew he wanted to return to coaching. He just figured it would be in the N.B.A. But then he did the math. Based on his experience, he said, an N.B.A. job would probably last four or five seasons — “Unless you really get things rolling,” he said — at which point he would be in his late 60s. Would he be able to land another job?