It seems only a matter of time before the perpetually embattled Jason Kidd will assume the autonomous coaching and front office position for the Milwaukee Bucks that the Brooklyn Nets refused him. According to reports, Kidd is likely headed to Milwaukee in return for second-round pick(s).
UPDATE: According to ESPN, Kidd is headed to Milwaukee in exchange for a pair of second-round picks. The Bucks have only talked to Kidd about coaching responsibilities.
PREVIOUSLY: The news is courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowksi.
Possibility of getting Bucks 1st-round pick for Kidd is remote. Several sources believe deal gets done in 24 hours w/ a 2nd rounder, or two.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 30, 2014
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Bucks ownership masking this as a coach hiring, but belief is that it's just matter of time until Kidd has full control in Milwaukee.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 30, 2014
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It’s unrealistic for the Nets to assume they’d receive a first-round pick as compensation for Kidd. As it’s widely known that Kidd will be out in Brooklyn regardless of whether or not he’s part of a trade, the Nets are negotiating with Milwaukee from a position of weakness. The Bucks have no reason to push the envelope and sacrifice a very valuable draft choice if Kidd will ultimately be available to hire on the open market. And given the league’s collective disgust with Kidd’s antics on his way out of Brooklyn and unwillingness to cede him the control he seeks, that market would be dry.
By all reported and logical accounts, this deal will eventually get done with second-rounders. The question now is what will happen when Kidd gets to Milwaukee.
As Wojnarowski notes, the Bucks are doing all they can to make it seem as if Kidd will merely coach the team despite the general assumption he’ll take over personnel decisions, as well. Milwaukee hired Larry Drew before last season, but that was under a previous ownership group. Wes Edens and Marc Lasry – a long-time friend of Kidd’s – have no obligation of loyalty to Drew. But long-time General Manager John Hammond? That could be another story, especially considering a report by ESPN’s Andy Katz that Hammond is the one orchestrating terms of Milwaukee’s swap for Kidd with Brooklyn’s front office.
But the source said the negotiations are now being handled by Bucks general manager John Hammond and Nets GM Billy King.
The source said Hammond and high-ranking Bucks officials David Morway and Dave Babcock are all safe and that their jobs are not in jeopardy if Kidd is hired as coach.
Kidd made his own bed here. He’d have had a very difficult time getting the dual-role he wants even before violating so many unwritten but firmly established rules of coaching’s code, including the biggest one: You don’t go after another man’s job. Drew was firmly entrenched in Milwaukee until Kidd’s overzealous try to usurp King as the Nets’ decision-maker. Kidd is lucky that the Bucks’ new owners are intent on making a splash or he could have been left without a job entirely, not just the rare coaching-front office position that his hubris commands.
We’ll know more when the deal between Brooklyn and Milwaukee gets done. At this point, though, it’s hard to believe that Kidd won’t get at least a portion of the control he so desires from Milwaukee.
Would Kidd do well with the Bucks?
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