One of the reasons why Tyronn Lue isn't the Los Angeles Lakers was management's preference that he hire Jason Kidd as his top assistant. Lue, perhaps weary of the possibility of Kidd instituting another power-grab, balked at that inclination, ultimately walking away from consideration for the Lakers' job last week before the team hired Frank Vogel on Saturday.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, though, apparently did his diligence before hiring Kidd as Vogel's top assistant. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Pelinka sought and received intel from both who have previously worked with Vogel and Kidd to ensure their partnership would be mutually beneficial.

“Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has spent the past few days gathering information among those who've worked with both Vogel and Kidd about how they believe those two could complement each other on a Lakers coaching staff, league sources said.”

Kidd, remember, left the Brooklyn Nets in 2015 amid unceremonious circumstances.

Despite being a rookie head coach not even one year removed from his playing days, Kidd reportedly approached Nets ownership midway through the 2014-15 season about the job performance of Billy King, setting the stage for an attempted coup of sorts at the end of the season. Rather than acquiesce to Kidd's demands that he not only take on a management role but also usurp King in the organization's pecking order, the Nets traded him to the Bucks.

It remains to be seen how Vogel and Kidd will get along on Los Angeles' sidelines. For all the deserved criticism Lakers management has received over the past six weeks, though, it's heartening to know that they had the foresight to dive into the backgrounds of both coaches before pairing them in a potentially fraught situation.