Getty Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Inductees Ray Allen (L) and Jason Kidd attend the SiriusXM NBA Radio Hall Of Fame Town Hall with Ray Allen, Jason Kidd and Rod Thorn at Mohegan Sun.
With Brad Stevens moving up to the front office, there’s a head coaching vacancy to fill in Boston. And the more time that passes the more Jason Kidd continues to be linked as Stevens’ potential successor as head coach of the Celtics.
Upon initial news of Stevens forfeiting his coaching duties, Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reported that Kidd, alongside former Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, were both among the likely candidates to fill the void. Now the NBA insider is back with an update, one that seemingly strengthens the former’s candidacy.
According to Haynes, “Kidd — who was previously a head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee — is expected to interview for the Boston Celtics’ head coach opening.”
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Celtics Will Have Competition for Kidd’s Services
With the Los Angeles Lakers being eliminated from the playoffs at the hands of the Phoenix Suns, the focus in Southern California now switches over to pending offseason changes. One change, in particular, the Lakers appear to be bracing for is the loss of Kidd, who has served as an assistant on Frank Vogel’s staff since 2019. Haynes notes that the NBA Hall of Famer’s stock is “rising” around the league and that the team “believes Kidd should be a top candidate among all available NBA coaching gigs.”
In other words, if the Celtics want Kidd, they’ll more than likely have some competition to secure his services. The Portland Trail Blazers, particularly, are a team to keep an eye on. Haynes added that Kidd is “expected to be a top target” for the Blazers with the “anticipation” that Terry Stotts is relieved of his duties after nearly a decade on the job.
The New York Times’ Marc Stein has since taken to Twitter to back this notion:
Hearing the same as what [Chris Haynes] detailed here: There is strong buzz in league coaching circles that Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd will emerge as a top candidate in Portland if the Blazers, as many expect, respond to their first-round exit by making a coaching change.
Kidd’s Resume & Other Candidates
Kidd owns a .491% winning percentage as an NBA head coach, amassing a 183-190 record spanning across stints with both the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks. The 48-year-old led the Nets to a first-round playoff victory in his first and only season in Brooklyn. Following the year, his coaching rights were acquired by the Bucks in exchange for a 2015 and 2019 second-round pick. Kidd lasted nearly four seasons in Milwaukee, making the playoffs twice, but never escaping the first-round.
While the Kidd hype appears to be heating up, he’s in no way a lock for the job. As far as we know his interview isn’t even set in stone at this point. In that regard, there are a handful of other potential candidates to keep an eye on.
In-house candidate Jay Larranaga, former team assistant Kara Lawson, ex-Celtics draft pick Chauncey Billups and former Celtics Champion Sam Cassell are just a few of the more familiar names expected to be in contention for the vacancy in Boston.