Multiple media reports indicate that Ty Lue was the favorite to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luke Walton gone in LA? If Walton were fired, Mark Jackson is a likely candidate. So is Jason Kidd. I asked a credible league source this afternoon whether they thought Kidd would be a good fit.
They told me: “it would be great” and “anything is possible.”
Apparently, that’s not the case now according to NBA Insider, Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN:
Negotiations between the Los Angeles Lakers and Tyronn Lue have ended without an agreement to make him the franchise’s next head coach, league sources told ESPN.
Lue and his representatives turned down the Lakers’ offer Tuesday, league sources said. The Lakers then on Wednesday offered Lue a deal in the range of three years and $18 million, after which Lue’s side pulled out of negotiations.
According to the sources, Lue’s camp was seeking a five-year deal with a salary commensurate with a championship résumé.
Beyond an inability to agree on contractual terms, the Lakers had proposed several scenarios involving their preferred candidates for assistant coaches, including Jason Kidd, sources said.
The Cleveland Cavaliers still owe Lue more than $10 million on his contract payout, and accepting a less-than-market-value deal from the Lakers could ultimately cost him money.
One name has resurfaced: NBA Hall of Famer, Jason Kidd.
According to someone close to the former NBA point guard who later became an NBA head coach, Kidd expected Lue to be hired.
“Interested to see if talks with Lue really break down,” I’m told.
“Cool that J-Kidd made a “strong impression with them.”
Those in Kidd’s camp say that they’re grateful that he left a strong impression in his interview with the Lakers.
Yesterday, Adrian Wojnarowski also mentioned that the Lakers were very impressed with Jason Kidd during his interview with the team. Wojnarowski also said that the Lakers were looking to hire Kidd as an assistant.
According to someone in Kidd’s circle: They’re pretty confident that Kidd would only accept a head coaching position with the Lakers.
Kidd posted a 139–152 record in his 291 games coached in Milwaukee before he was fired last season.
Kidd was higher on the list during the NBA season. Magic Johnson was also calling the shots back then, as well.
The Lakers also interviewed Miami Heat assistant coach, Juwan Howard. In the last few weeks, it’s been said that Howard was not viewed as highly as Lue.
According to the LA Times’ Brad Turner: Howard impressed the Lakers during his interview at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo.
Howard also has the advantage of being teammates with LeBron James and winning a championship with him during their Miami Heat playing days.
On the coaching side: Howard has had no head coaching experience, yet.
But objectively speaking: Neither did former Lakers coach, Luke Walton.
Walton, a former Golden State Warriors assistant coach, did however serve as an interim coach with the Golden State Warriors after Steve Kerr took significant time off due to health concerns.
As for Howard: he has served as the Miami Heat’s defensive coordinator under head coach, Erik Spoelstra.
And as SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll’s Harrison Faigen brilliantly pointed out: Under Juwan Howard’s assistant coach tutelage, the Miami Heat have had a top-10 defense for the last four seasons.
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Lakers Coach: Jason Kidd Wants LA Job, Believed It Belonged to Ty Lue