After cycling through head coaches on a near annual basis, the Los Angeles Lakers hoped to find stability with Luke Walton when he was hired in April 2016. However, an overhaul of the team’s front office the following year cast some doubt on that.
Although president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka did not hire Walton, he had the support of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. She’s been unwavering in her backing of Walton, even as pressure and criticism mounted throughout the season.
With the Lakers missing the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year, the widespread expectation is the team will part with Walton at the end of the season.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jason Kidd will be among the options the Lakers consider if they do need to find a replacement for Walton:
Kidd will be among the serious candidates for the Lakers coaching job if Luke Walton is dismissed, league sources tell ESPN. That’s expected to give Kidd some pause on pursuing the Cal opening now. https://t.co/mm1SHCcVNJ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 24, 2019
A report in January suggested there was mutual interest between Kidd and the Lakers. Kidd coached one season with the Brooklyn Nets, then three full years with the Milwaukee Bucks before getting fired 45 games into a fourth season.
Although he won a championship as a player by helping the Dallas Mavericks defeat LeBron James and the Miami Heat, Kidd’s track record and reputation as a head coach brings about its own set of questions.