Jason Kidd is interested in getting back on the sidelines as a head coach.
Kidd, who was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks last season, has recently been mentioned as a potential replacement for Luke Walton with the Los Angeles Lakers; an opportunity that Kidd "wouldn't be able to turn down" if it presented itself.
"[One of the best franchises]. Not just in the NBA, but the world," Kidd said of the Lakers, via ESPN. "And so if you ever have the opportunity to wear the purple and gold, you can't turn that down. As a coach, as a player, because they're all about championships, and so they have a process. They have a young team. And then LeBron [James] comes and kind of sped up things. And so he wants to win now. But I think, again, it takes time."
The lure of the Lakers - as an organization - alone, is enough to make the potential position intriguing, but the fact that whoever coaches the Lakers moving forward will also coach one of the greatest players of all-time in LeBron James makes it even more of a no-brainer for Kidd.
"When you talk about the best player in the world, you always are going to say yes because as a coach or as a teammate, he's always going to make you better because you're going to work," Kidd said. "As a coach, X and O's, you got to be on point. And as a teammate, you're going to work extremely hard because you know he's going to need you to make that shot or come up with a defensive play.
"And so, that would be a great honor to coach any elite basketball player, and I've got that opportunity in Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. And, hopefully, somewhere down the road, I can have another star."
It's worth noting that Kidd complemented the Lakers' current coach and said that he thought that Walton has done an "incredible job" with the team, although it's pretty clear that he would appreciate the opportunity to succeed him.
The Lakers moving on from Walton is simply speculation at this point in time, he will still be manning the sidelines Tuesday when Los Angeles faces the Wizards (10:30 p.m. ET -- Watch on FuboTV with NBA League Pass add-on), and even if the position does become available, it is safe to say that there will be no shortage of qualified candidates interested in the opportunity. So, Kidd certainly isn't putting all of his proverbial eggs into one basket.
"We'll see what happens. ... We'll wait until the season's over to see what opportunities come about," Kidd said, "Hopefully, there's one that fits."
This offseason projects to be an extremely important one for the Lakers, as they will have to make several decisions that will set the course of the franchise for the foreseeable future. It will be interesting to see if they turn to Kidd to help them right the ship.
