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The NBA Draft news cycle hasn't even ended, and the NBA offseason is already getting weird. Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd made a failed power play in Brooklyn, prompting the Milwaukee Bucks to ask for (and receive) permission to speak with Kidd about the prospect of hiring him, according to a report by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Kidd is fresh off his first-ever season of coaching, in which he led a veteran Nets squad with high hopes to a 44-38 record and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. He was reportedly seeking a promotion to a position overseeing basketball operations in Brooklyn, but the Nets didn't bite. Here's the scoop from Bontemps:
Kidd recently approached ownership with a series of demands, including the role of overseeing the Nets' basketball operations department in addition to his head coaching responsibilities. The source said Kidd didn't want general manager Billy King to be dismissed, but wanted to be given a title and placed above him in the organizational hierarchy.
As for why the Bucks stepped in to ask for permission to speak to Kidd, Bontempts notes that Bucks owner Marc Lasry is "a good friend of Kidd." There's more:
Bucks new co-owner Mark Lasry is close with Kidd, serving at one time as his financial advisor.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) June 29, 2014
All in the family: 1 of Bucks new owners - Lasry - is friends with Jason Kidd and Kidd's agent. Stay tuned.
— Gery Woelfel (@GeryWoelfel) June 29, 2014
Who knows what's going on that this point. Larry Drew is still under contract with the Bucks, but his future hasn't exactly been clear in the wake of a franchise-worst season and the shakeup in ownership. In fact, Milwaukee's front office might have been in the dark on this move:
It's unclear if Kidd is going for front office or coaching gig with Bucks, but I'm told Milwaukee front office was unaware, so...
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 29, 2014
To recap: Kidd was seeking more power within the Nets organization, and now the Bucks are talking to him. And it appears Larry Drew and the Bucks' front office was kept in the dark on this move.
Bucks coach Larry Drew & front office was unaware Jason Kidd was about to interview for their jobs, sources told ESPN
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 29, 2014
Things are getting crazy. More updates will follow.