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The Jason Kidd-to-Milwaukee saga appears to be approaching its conclusion.
Charles Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel tweets that the Bucks have agreed to send the Nets two second round picks in exchange for releasing Kidd from the remaining three years of his contract in Brooklyn. Kidd would then sign on as the Bucks' new head coach, ousting Larry Drew after one disappointing season in Milwaukee.
Bucks land Jason Kidd, source confirms. Compensation will be 2 second-round picks, one in 2015 and one in 2018 or 2019.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) June 30, 2014
Kidd deal should be three or four years in length, source indicated.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) June 30, 2014
As compensation for letting Kidd go, Nets will get their 2015 2nd-rd pick back from Bucks, plus a 2nd-rd pick in 2019 (better of MIL or SAC)
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 30, 2014
#Nets source confirms deal is done, Kidd gone, two second rounders going to brooklyn
— NetsDaily.com (@NetsDaily) June 30, 2014
The Bucks acquired the Nets' 2015 second round pick on draft night from Atlanta in exchange to the rights to the 48th overall pick Lamar Patterson.
ESPN's Andy Katz reported Sunday night that the Bucks had held firm on offering no more than a second round pick for the now out-of-favor Nets coach, whose scorched earth approach in Brooklyn had made his departure--to Milwaukee or elsewhere--reportedly guaranteed. Brooklyn had insisted on a first rounder as compensation for allowing Kidd to leave, but that never seemed a serious option in Milwaukee. Via Katz:
"If the Nets agree then there will be a deal, if they don't then [the Bucks] are comfortable moving on and there will be nothing further to talk about," said the source. "The only thing (the Bucks) would give them is a second-round pick. They want a first. In the next 24 hours, there will either be a deal or there won't be a deal."The source said the Bucks only talked to Kidd about being the coach, not any kind of administrative position running basketball operations. The source said the negotiation was supposed to be between the owners, not involving any basketball personnel, before the story was leaked out by the New York Post. But the source said the negotiations are now being handled by Bucks general manager John Hammond and Nets GM Billy King.
The big questions now are how the Bucks explain the controversial process that has landed Kidd in Milwaukee, and perhaps more importantly how it impacts the decision-making structure going forward. Though few expected Larry Drew to be a long-term solution in Milwaukee, the team's pursuit of a replacement without his knowledge has already drawn broad criticism--both of the organization for its covert pursuit of Kidd and of Kidd for his willingness to interview for another coach's job. New owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens had refused to make any commitments to Drew since formally taking control over the franchise a month ago, but that won't stop Drew from looking like the victim to most observers now. Which is unfortunate, because if handled cleanly, the upgrade from Drew to an up-and-comer like Kidd could have been a major PR win for the team. Instead...well, not so much.
Perhaps more importantly, the team will have to explain how the arrival of a coach hand-picked by Lasry and Edens impacts a front office led by holdover GM John Hammond. While reports suggest Hammond's job is safe for the time being, questions over Kidd's desire for control over personnel decisions--the demand that derailed his time in Brooklyn--promise to become a major distraction if they aren't dealt with convincingly.