Lakers rumors: Jason Kidd may have his eyes set on a different coaching gig.
There were prominent Los Angeles Lakers rumors that Jason Kidd would be the head coach of the Lakers last summer. Ultimately, the job wound up going to Frank Vogel and the team hired Jason Kidd as one of Vogel’s assistants.
It was an interesting fit at the time that has been just fine. Kidd has not revolutionized the Lakers as an assistant, but he has been just fine and Vogel has done a really good job, especially on the defensive side of the basketball.
As an assistant with previous head coaching experience, Kidd is naturally going to be a candidate for various different head coach openings. Kidd apparently already made a strong impression with the New York Knicks for their head coaching vacancy.
However, it appears as Kidd himself has a preferred destination if he were to leave the Lake Show this season. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the preferred destination is replacing Brett Brown in Philly.
Los Angeles #Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd wants the 76ers coaching job, according to multiple league sources.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) August 28, 2020
That is an interesting fit, to say the least. If Philly does snag Kidd, or he goes elsewhere, the Lakers should absolutely look to play a UNO reverse card and replace Kidd with the Philadelphia 76ers former head coach, Brett Brown.
Lakers rumors: Why Brett Brown makes sense for the Los Angeles Lakers
There are no current reports or Lakers rumors that the team is looking at Brett Brown for next season as the main focus right now if the playoffs. However, once the offseason begins, the Lakers should be expecting Jason Kidd to leave and Brown should be atop the Lakers’ list for a new assistant coach.
Yes, Brown got the bad end of the stick during his departure from Philly and it is easy to look at the way that the 76ers’ process has underperformed and deem him as a mediocre head coach. As an assistant, though, he would be fantastic.
Brown’s biggest drawback was that his schemes with the 76ers were terrible and did not maximize the most out of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The 76ers did not play to their strengths and it was a clunky operation that was as successful as it was on pure talent alone.
As a player-development coach, though, Brown is fantastic. That is why he was the right hire for the 76ers during the process and why the 76ers have gotten the most out of several role players through the years.
The Lakers do not have a lot of young talent but they have some. Brown could do wonders for someone such as Talen Horton-Tucker or even Kyle Kuzma, maximizing his ability as a playmaker to turn him into an effective stretch four.
Brown’s track record — both with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers — speaks for itself and he would prove to be an excellent fit to replace Jason Kidd, if the need arises.