Knicks Rumors: Jason Kidd, Will Hardy Interviewed for HC Job on Thursday

The New York Knicks reportedly interviewed both Jason Kidd and Will Hardy for their head coaching vacancy Thursday, according to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan.

Kidd is an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, while Hardy is an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs.

The two candidates' backgrounds are quite different, as Kidd already has five years of experience as an NBA head coach. The 47-year-old went 44-38 in his lone season with the Brooklyn Nets and 139-152 in parts of four seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.

He led his teams to the playoffs in three of his four full seasons.

Kidd's time in Milwaukee also coincided with the early part of Giannis Antetokounmpo's career in the NBA. According to Steve Popper of Newsday, some teams believe hiring Kidd as a head coach could help lure Giannis when he becomes a free agent in 2021.

Factoring in his Hall of Fame playing career, including one season with the Knicks in 2012-13, Kidd becomes an intriguing candidate.

Hardy is more of an unknown on a national scale but is "well-regarded within Spurs organization," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 32-year-old has been with the Spurs for 10 years, beginning as an intern before becoming an assistant coach and eventually moving to the team's bench.

These two are part of a lengthy list of candidates for the Knicks job, which also includes Tom Thibodeau, Kenny Atkinson, Mike Woodson, Mike Brown, interim coach Mike Miller and more, per Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.

Thibodeau is considered the front-runner for the job.

Thursday's interviews prevented the Knicks from taking part in a conference call with the seven other teams not competing in the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida. The league is in discussions regarding a second "bubble" that would take place in Chicago.