Jason Kidd reportedly ‘keeps coming up’ in Magic head-coaching search

The Lakers assistant’s experience could get him a job with the Magic.

Jason Kidd wants to be a head coach again — that much has been clear since he was fired from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018. And while there have been no shortage of opportunities for Kidd in the time that has passed — a few of which he interviewed for — he’s yet to receive an offer from a team.

Kidd could end the year without an offer once again, but there seems to be more serious interest in the Los Angeles Lakers assistant this year. In addition to the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, the Orlando Magic are reportedly considering Kidd for their head-coaching position, and according to Marc Stein of the New York Times, he’s one of the favorites for the job at this stage of the interview process:

Orlando management is said to prefer hiring a candidate with previous head-coaching experience, even with a roster full of younger players who will need time to develop. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Jason Kidd and Kenny Atkinson, who coached the Nets before becoming an assistant with the Clippers, are two names that keep coming up.

This is the first time we’ve heard about Kidd being a finalist of sorts for a head-coaching job since he was fired from the Bucks. Last year, he never made it that far into the interview process and in 2019, when he interviewed to become the head coach of the Lakers, he was offered an assistant-coaching position.

Again, this very well could be another “close, but no cigar” situation for Kidd, but it’s looking promising for him at the moment, and if that optimism isn’t misplaced, the Lakers will be in the market for a new lead assistant coach sooner rather than later.

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