Jason Kidd has some friends in high places with the Los Angeles Lakers, for better or worse for the franchise itself. Kidd was reportedly what caused the unraveling of Tyronn Lue’s chances of getting the Lakers’ head coaching job — Lue wanted to hire his own assistant coaches, while the Lakers wanted to make sure Kidd played a role on the staff.
Lue is no longer considered a candidate for the job after the two sides couldn’t come to terms earlier in the week, and Saturday brought news that former Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel was the new front-runner for the role. But one interesting note that came from that report, via ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is that the Lakers are still very much interested in Kidd for an assistant role.
The Lakers are planning to pair Jason Kidd with Vogel as an assistant coach, league sources said.
Wojnarowski tweeted that much on Saturday, and picking that tidbit out of his initial report is certainly noteworthy: the Lakers really, really want Kidd involved, and it seems like it doesn’t matter which head coach they pick, they want Kidd on the bench with him.
As the Lakers head coaching search has become focused on Frank Vogel, Jason Kidd remains a strong candidate to play a prominent role as an assistant coach, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 11, 2019
As ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne tweeted on Saturday, Kidd has strong ties to LeBron James which could be why the Lakers are so interested in getting Kidd on board.
Kidd has a strong relationship with LeBron James and mentored Lonzo last year https://t.co/rOpYvqUHim
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 11, 2019
Whether the move is simply because James would approve or whether there’s something more direct happening would merely be speculation, but as the Lakers’ odd offseason moves forward, one of the few things that seems certain is that Kidd will be on the bench come fall.
