Sources: Bucks have hired Jason Kidd as coach
After reaching a deal to let Jason Kidd coach the Milwaukee Bucks, the Brooklyn Nets have set up a meeting with their top candidate, Lionel Hollins, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Hollins has emerged as the Nets focus in what could turn out to be a brief coaching search, sources said. He will meet with Nets officials in New York within the next 24-48 hours, sources said.
Hollins had been a strong consideration for the Nets when Kidd had gotten off to a sluggish start to the season and there was discussion about replacing Kidd in late December, sources said.
Hollins brings a strong playoff, disciplinary and defensive track record from his five years as the Memphis Grizzlies coach. Hollins has interviewed for the Los Angeles Lakers coaching vacancy and is still considered a finalist with leader Byron Scott, sources said.
Kidd is working to bring two Nets assistants, Eric Hughes and Sean Sweeney, to Millwaukee with him, sources said.
Milwaukee reached an agreement to send 2015 and 2019 second-round picks to Brooklyn to allow Kidd out of the final two years of his contract and become the Bucks' coach.
The Bucks will fire coach Larry Drew, who had been on the job for one season. New Bucks ownership had communicated nothing to Drew through the past several days of negotiations with Kidd and the Nets, sources said.
Kidd lost a power play in Brooklyn, where he had tried to usurp the power of GM Billy King through ownership, sources said. Kidd had gone to ownership seeking the president of basketball operations title and was denied. It led to Brooklyn allowing him permission to talk with the Bucks, whose new co-owner, Marc Lasry, has been a longtime financial adviser.
Around the NBA, there's a strong belief that Kidd will ascend sooner rather than later to run the Bucks' basketball operations. Milwaukee currently has a general manager, John Hammond, in place.
In his one season as Nets coach, Kidd was 44-38 and won an Eastern Conference first-round series over Toronto.
Lionel Hollins is a strong candidate to replace Kidd with the Nets, league sources said.
