Kidd speaks: “Brooklyn thought they could do better” than me

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High Expectations For Kidd, Parker

For the first time since leaving the team, former Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd spoke a bit candidly about his departure from the team.

“Well, I think the business side takes place a lot of times,” Kidd told Chris Broussard of ESPN. “We talk about the game, but sometimes the business gets in the way. Brooklyn thought that they could do better in the sense of Milwaukee having interest, and them okaying it, and then the two owners finding a way to make a deal.”

That’s a bit different than the reports, which indicate that Kidd went over general manager Billy King’s head, seeking a presidential position in an attempt to usurp power from his boss after just one year of coaching. Kidd was reportedly rebuffed by the team’s Russian ownership, and sought a job in Milwaukee after the Nets no longer wanted him around.

Kidd’s version of events is that Milwaukee had the initial interest, and Kidd decided to pursue that thread once the Nets thought they could “do better.”

The Nets let Kidd out of his contract in exchange for two second-round picks from the Bucks, and hired veteran head coach Lionel Hollins on the same day to a four-year contract. The Bucks fired Larry Drew to make room for Kidd.