Jason Kidd’s stunning departure from the Nets is complete.
Less than 48 hours after The Post broke the news that Kidd — after a failed power play to, among other things, wrest control of basketball operations from general manager Billy King — had been granted permission to speak with the Bucks about joining their organization, the two teams came to an agreement on compensation to ensure Kidd will be Milwaukee’s coach next season.
League sources confirmed the Nets will receive two second-round picks from the Bucks — one in 2015 and another in 2019 — to allow Kidd to be released from the final three years of his contract with the Nets. The 2015 pick is actually the Nets’ pick, which had been dealt away previously.
With Kidd officially out of the picture, not only does King have to try and to navigate free agency, which began at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday — with core pieces Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston and Alan Anderson set to hit the open market — but he also has to go through the process of hiring a new coach to replace Kidd.
Ever since the possibility of Kidd’s departure arose, former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has been considered a top target for the Nets, and Yahoo! Sports reported Monday the Nets have already arranged a meeting with him within the next two days. It would be beneficial for the Nets to bring their coaching search to a close quickly, given the unfortunate timing coinciding with the start of free agency.
In the meantime, Kidd is in the process of trying to figure out what his coaching staff will look like with the Bucks. At least two Nets assistant coaches, Eric Hughes and Sean Sweeney, are expected to join Kidd in Milwaukee. Hughes has known Kidd since his playing days at Cal, while Sweeney had been bumped up to an assistant coaching role this season and had been slated to coach the Nets’ summer league team.
Sweeney will no longer do so, with either John Welch or Roy Rogers expected to take his place. Along with Hughes and Sweeney, it’s also possible Jim Sann and Joe Prunty — both of whom came to the Nets last summer and have ties to Kidd — could join him in Milwaukee.
After the Bucks and Nets came to their agreement over compensation for Kidd — he’s expected to receive a three-year deal from the Bucks at a significant raise from the $2.5 million he made with the Nets last season — they mercifully fired the coach they already had under contract, Larry Drew.
“Despite the challenging season, Larry always handled himself and represented the Bucks in a first-class manner,” Bucks general manager John Hammond said in a statement announcing the change Monday night. “Larry did the best he could in a difficult situation, especially given all of our injuries. I want to thank Larry for all of his efforts, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
It appears Hammond and his front office staff will remain in their jobs for the time being, as Kidd is only expected to be named the team’s head coach. It seems likely, however, Kidd will eventually be elevated to have power over player personnel he recently sought from Nets ownership.
Monday’s events cap a remarkable exit from the Nets organization for Kidd, who led the team to a 44-38 season in his first year as a coach following a 19-year playing career that will send him sailing into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Kidd was part of the franchise’s unveiling of the site of its soon-to-be constructed practice facility in Sunset Park in Brooklyn on Thursday morning, and spoke to reporters about the future of the franchise. He then filmed recruiting videos to try to get Pierce, Livingston and Anderson to return while taking part in the Nets’ draft night events that evening at Barclays Center.
But, in the background, the wheels were already in motion for Kidd’s departure. After ownership denied his demands, the Bucks asked for — and received — permission to speak with him. Milwaukee owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens — Lasry is a longtime friend of Kidd’s — met with him Friday.
Now, just a few days later, he’s off to Milwaukee and the Nets are looking for a new coach.