With the Los Angeles Lakers concluding the 2018-19 NBA season against the Portland Trail Blazers, all of the attention remains on head coach Luke Walton’s future.
Whether it is fair or not, those in Walton’s position are usually the scapegoats in these types of situations with the Lakers missing the playoffs for the sixth season.
While the Lakers have not fired the third-year head coach, there is already a list of potential candidates such as former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd.
And it appears the Lakers reportedly reached out to Kidd during the season to gauge his interest if the head coaching job were to become available, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic:
At one point during the season, the Lakers reached out to former Nets and Bucks coach Jason Kidd to gauge his interest in coaching the team, should the position become available, a source told Frank Isola of The Athletic. A high-ranking Lakers official disputes this claim.
Along with Kidd, former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, and Miami Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard have already been mentioned as Walton’s potential replacement. Out of the group, Lue has been mentioned the most in coaching circles based on his relationship with LeBron James.
Heading into the offseason, there is pressure on president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka. With a lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and $38 million in cap space, the Lakers can significantly improve and not waste another season of James’ career.