Jason Kidd: Rumors of Nets' desire to fire me 'had legs'
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd said that he was close to being fired last season when he was head coach of the Brooklyn Nets and denied seeking additional power within the organization.
Kidd was eventually traded to Milwaukee for two second-round picks in 2015 and 2019. Brooklyn hired Lionel Hollins to replace Kidd.
“Did I want to be traded?" Kidd said to ESPN.com. "I think once [the Nets] OK'd the talk to Milwaukee, that just showed, whatever you want to call it, rumors or no rumors that they wanted to fire me in December had to have some legs."
Yahoo! Sports reported last year that the Nets were thinking about firing Kidd and that he was losing support in the locker room after Brooklyn started the 2013-14 season by losing 11 of its first 21 games. The team recovered to finish 44-38 and were eliminated in the playoffs in five games by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
There was also a report that Kidd wanted more power in the Nets organization, which led to his departure to Milwaukee.
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"No, I don't need any power," Kidd said. "My [job] is to learn how to be a coach and be the best coach that I can be."
The team brought in veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and hired Kidd before last season with the hopes of bringing the franchise a championship. Garnett is the only one left on the team after Pierce signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Washington Wizards in the offseason.
"They got a plan," Kidd said about the Nets' direction this season. "You got to ask [Nets GM] Billy King, [Nets chairman] Dmitry [Razumov] and [owner] Mikhail [Prokhorov]. They have a plan and you just got to go with what the plan is."
The Bucks start the regular season Oct. 29 on the road against the Charlotte Hornets and Kidd returns to Brooklyn with Milwaukee on Nov. 19.
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