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In an unsurprising move, the Los Angeles Lakers announced on Friday that they had parted ways with head coach Darvin Ham. Following the Lakers first round flameout in the NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, it seemed likely that Ham was on his way out. The Lakers will now head into the offseason looking to have a new head coach in place likely before the NBA Draft in late June. One name that has reportedly surfaced on the Lakers wish list is current Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd as per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“In the meantime, the guys that they’re thinking about and pondering, have ties to LeBron James,” McMenamin said. “Three of the names I’ve been told in the last six, seven hours; Tyronn Lue of the Clippers, Jason Kidd of the Mavericks and JJ Redick of ESPN and The Mind the Game Podcast.”
The Lakers will be looking for their fourth head coach in the six years that LeBron James has been on the team. Out of the three candidates mentioned above, if that is indeed the Lakers short wish list of coaches, JJ Redick seems the most likely.
Tyronn Lue and the Clippers reportedly have interest in a contract extension while Jason Kidd is enjoying success as the Mavericks head coach. Both the Clippers and Mavericks would have to give permission for them to speak to the Lakers.
Jason Kidd has emerged as one of the NBA’s top coaches
It’s not surprising to see Jason Kidd near the top of the list for the Lakers regarding their vacant head coach position. Kidd has always been a favorite of LeBron James since Kidd was still an active player. He also has experience coaching James as part of Frank Vogel’s staff from 2019-2021.
But Kidd’s reputation as a head coach wasn’t always like this. He got his start in coaching immediately after retiring as a player when the Brooklyn Nets hired him to coach what they felt was a contending team that had Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson. The Nets underachieved during his stint at the helm and he left for the Milwaukee Bucks after only one season.
Kidd’s time with the Bucks was also mired in inconsistency and he only managed one winning season (42-40) during his four year stint at the helm. The Bucks made the playoffs twice during his tenure and lost in the first round both times. Kidd was fired by the Bucks halfway through the 2017-18 season.
Following his tenure as an assistant coach with the Lakers, the Mavericks hired Kidd prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. That year, he led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals and helped turn them into a good defensive team. The Mavericks missed the playoffs during the 2022-23 season as they struggled to integrate Kyrie Irving following the NBA Trade Deadline.
But this season has been a huge turnaround for the Mavericks and among Kidd’s top coaching performances. The Mavericks have taken another leap on the defensive end and have advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the the second time in three years under Kidd.
More must-reads:
- Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason
- Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant
- The 'Most triple-doubles in the postseason' quiz
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