NBA Rumors: Lakers Interview Kidd For Coach, LeBron's Trust Damaged, McMenamin Says

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to meet candidates for the vacant head coach position after parting ways with Luke Walton earlier in the month. They failed to make the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season – a franchise record.

Jason Kidd is the latest candidate to have met with the Lakers to take over the reins, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The Hall of Fame point guard reportedly met with general manager Rob Pelinka and team executive Kurt Rambis at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo, California.

The meeting with Kidd, who has previously coached the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, is said to have lasted several hours. He was fired by the latter during the 2017-18 season and has a 183-190 (.491) record during his four and a half seasons as a head coach with the two franchises combined.

The 46-year-old is not the first candidate to meet with the Lakers, as they have already held meetings with Philadelphia 76ers top assistant Monty Williams and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue in the past week. The duo is expected to have follow-up sessions with the Lakers management in the coming weeks.

Miami Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard is also expected to meet the Lakers for the head coaching job in the near future. The Los Angeles franchise is likely to take its time before making an appointment, as they are expected to take into consideration the coach’s potential dynamic with star player LeBron James.

Lue, who was with the Cavaliers, has an advantage of having coached James to the NBA title in 2016, when the Cleveland franchise came from 3-1 down and beat the Golden State Warriors. He was sacked after a disappointing start to the 2018-19 season, but his relationship with James could prove to be an advantage.

Additionally, McMenamin believes James’ trust in the organization is damaged at the moment and they will have to rebuild it this offseason in the form of making the right additions in terms of the head coach and players in free agency.

"I think the trust that James has in the organization has been damaged. Right now it’s a tough bridge that has fallen that’s going to need to be put back together. Whoever's involved there’s going to have to be an initial thing proven w/ the coach and Free agency,” McMenamin said on ESPN 710 AM, as transcribed by Showtime Forum.