Report: Jason Kidd Wants to Coach Brooklyn Nets Next Season

Jason Kidd may have retired from playing basketball but that doesn’t mean he’s done with the game. According to Yahoo! Sports guru Adrian Wojnarowski, the former New Jersey Nets star wants to fill the head coaching vacancy currently residing within the Brooklyn Nets’ chain of command.

While the move seems a bit out there considering Kidd has no coaching experience whatsoever in the NBA and hasn’t even technically been out of the game for a week, Wojnarowski points to a few things that might actually make this happen. The Nets have Brian Shaw high on their list but it appears as though he’s holding out for mutual interest from the Los Angeles Clippers, something he might get. George Karl is pretty much a lock for the Memphis Grizzlies job and Lionel Hollins will probably end up with the team Shaw doesn’t, be it the Clippers or Denver Nuggets.

Kidd is a big part of the Nets history, helping lead them to some great seasons in the early 2000s. He also has what Wojnarowski called a close relationship with star point guard Deron Williams, a guy the Nets are going to want to keep happy moving forward. In fact Kidd almost considered signing with the nets prior to his deal with the Knicks because he respects Williams so much and wanted to back him up.

It’s also not as though Kidd doesn’t have a deep knowledge of the game as he’s watched it evolve from what it was during the Michael Jordan era to the game it is today. He’s played in all the eras of the last twenty years and he’s fresh off of playing in and against systems currently in place in the NBA.

Being a point guard doesn’t hurt his leadership and directing capabilities either.

It will all come down to whether or not the Nets want to try this out. If they swing and miss on Shaw, Hollins and the other targets they have, signing Kidd to a one-year deal with options for more isn’t a bad idea. If it works, then the options can be picked up and if Kidd decides he bit off more than he could chew or the Nets figure that out the hard way, then they can take a shot at any of the number of coaches that could be out of jobs next year, like Doc Rivers or a college titan looking to move up.