Although his alma mater is beckoning, Jason Kidd would likely take the Los Angeles Lakers' head coaching job if it were offered to him.
Marc Spears of ESPN reported that the University of California are hoping to pursue Kidd for their vacated head coaching position:
While ex-Cal star and Hall of Famer Jason Kidd is expected to be a target for his old school for their newly opened head coach job, a source said he is still strongly interested in returning to the NBA as a head coach and could wait to see what opens up.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) March 24, 2019
Shortly thereafter, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Kidd could be high on the list for the Lakers should they choose to fire Luke Walton—a scenario that is expected by many throughout the league—at the end of the season:
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
Kidd made his NBA head coaching debut with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013-14 season, making the playoffs and winning a playoff series before falling in the second round. Kidd was then “traded” to the Milwaukee Bucks, with Brooklyn receiving multiple second-round picks in the deal.
Milwaukee was not as kind to Kidd, who made the playoffs in his first season with the team but would struggle to keep the Bucks above .500 throughout his tenure, and losing both of his two playoff series' with the team. Kidd was fired in January of 2018, a move that “devastated” Giannis Antetokounmpo at the time.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have endured arguably one of the most frustrating seasons in franchise history. Los Angeles was a popular pick to make the playoffs and even compete in the top half of the Western Conference following the signing of LeBron James, but instead have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
If Kidd is more invested in coaching in the NBA, he likely will not have to wait too long before gauging his options.