Distracting rumor about Jason Kidd to Lakers makes no sense

The Dallas Mavericks eliminated the LA Clippers in six games in the first round to complete the Western Conference semifinals slate. They join the conference's top-three seeds, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Among the first-round losers, the Los Angeles Lakers are the first team to make significant moves. They fired second-year head coach Darvin Ham and everyone on his coaching staff after a sweep at the hands of the Nuggets in last year's playoffs and a disastrous 2023-24 campaign. 

For some people, it had been a long time coming because the longtime assistant coach appeared to underachieve despite having LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster.

Distracting rumor about Jason Kidd to Lakers makes no sense

Despite the playoffs still ongoing, news of the Lakers' search for Ham's replacement has made headlines, and the franchise has already been linked to some big names.

Perhaps one of the more perplexing names that has been thrown out there is Mavs coach Jason Kidd. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the potential candidates he has been told of include Kidd, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, and James' "Mind the Game" pod co-host JJ Redick.

If this were the offseason, maybe seeing the Kidd to the Lakers rumors would make sense. But the Mavs are in the thick of the 2024 NBA Playoffs with a high chance of reaching the West Finals after drawing the matchup every fan wants to see in the second round: the Thunder.

The Hall of Fame point guard has been able to adjust his lineups and strategies well in the regular season and the playoffs, including making a massive change that fixed the Mavs' glaring problem against the Clippers. That could result in other organizations checking in on his availability in the offseason.

But would Kidd really consider moving to the Lakers despite a great situation in Dallas? 

He does have some history with the Purple and Gold, serving as an assistant coach for the team when it won the 2020 NBA Championship. James also has a good relationship with him and even came to his defense earlier in the 2023-24 season after the coach figured in a dispute with someone from the media.

Still, the 10-time NBA All-Star would probably not trade helming a title-contending squad featuring one of the best players in the world in Luka Doncic and a supporting cast that other franchises would love to have for coaching a dysfunctional team.

Stay tuned with us for more updates on Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks.