NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: Jason Kidd Leaving Nets for Bucks?
Updated15 Oct 2021
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Apparently Jason Kidd isn’t satisfied with just coaching the Nets, and it may cause him to leave the franchise.
A league source told The Post Kidd recently approached ownership with a series of demands, including the role of overseeing the Nets’ basketball operations department in addition to his head-coaching responsibilities. The source said Kidd didn’t want general manager Billy King to be dismissed, but wanted to be given a title and placed above him in the organizational hierarchy.
Ownership declined to grant Kidd that kind of power, which is rare for any coach in the league to have. The franchise then was asked by the Bucks for permission to speak with Kidd about the prospect of hiring him and the Nets consented, making his departure from Brooklyn a sudden possibility.
This story sounds incredibly strange, but it has been confirmed and checks out to be 100 percent accurate. Jason Kidd tried to make a power play in Brooklyn, demanding a front office role in addition to his head coaching responsibilities, and was shut down by the Nets.
Now, Kidd is in talks with the Bucks about joining their organization as the team’s president of basketball operations (and possibly head coach as well, but that has yet to be confirmed). As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports points out, Kidd is a good friend and past financial partner of new Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, so Milwaukee is legitimately considering this move and may give in to all of the demands that Kidd asked for in Brooklyn.
According to reports, the Nets and Bucks have already started discussing compensation for Brooklyn to let Kidd out of his contract so that he can head to Milwaukee.
Kidd just retired from playing in the NBA after last season and has just one season as a head coach under his belt and zero experience as a front-office executive, so it’s shocking that he would expect the Nets to hand over the reins of the franchise to him.
Not only was Kidd frustrated that he doesn’t have say over personnel moves in Brooklyn, he was reportedly upset that other first-time coaches such as Golden State’s Steve Kerr and New York’s Derek Fisher signed contracts that were much more lucrative than the one he inked last summer as a rookie coach. Kidd’s deal was just for three years and $10.5 million, whereas Kerr and Fisher each received five-year, $25 million contracts despite their similar inexperience on the sideline.
This is a story to keep an eye on, as the Bucks and Nets may be undergoing major overhauls in the coming days. It remains to be seen how Kidd to Milwaukee would affect the status of head coach Larry Drew and general manager John Hammond. In Brooklyn, Lionel Hollins and Mark Jackson have been mentioned as potential replacements for Kidd should he actually leave.
Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons, one of the NBA’s most underpaid players, can expect to land a big payday after he becomes a restricted free agent next week.
The Rockets will decline the $964,750 option on Parsons’ rookie contract. As a restricted free agent, Parsons won’t lack for attention on the market, but the Rockets are allowed to match any offer he receives.
Minnesota could attempt a deal sending [Kevin] Love to the Rockets and acquire Parsons in a sign-and-trade. The Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks have primary interest in signing [Carmelo] Anthony as a free agent, but also could chase Parsons if they don’t, a source said.
The Rockets had a tough decision to make this offseason. They could either decline the option on Chandler Parsons’ rookie contract to make him a restricted free agent or they could pick up the option, which would’ve made him an unrestricted free agent next summer. Houston chose the former, so that they would have the opportunity to match any offer sheet that Parsons receives.
While that decision does give the Rockets some control over the process, it doesn’t mean Parsons won’t be highly coveted this offseason. A number of teams are going to pursue the 25-year-old small forward, including the Timberwolves, Lakers, Bulls and Mavericks, according to Spears.
For teams that miss out on small forward free agents such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Luol Deng, Parsons is an excellent back-up plan. Parsons has exceeded all expectations in his three NBA seasons after being the 38th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Last season, he averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and four assists and complemented James Harden and Dwight Howard well.
Houston obviously wants to re-sign Parsons, which is why they didn’t want to let him hit unrestricted free agency next summer, but that could be easier said than done if one of these interested teams makes Parsons a very lucrative offer.
The Rockets have made it clear that they want to make a splashy move this summer, adding a third star like James, Anthony or Love to their roster. It remains to be seen where Parsons fits into that plan, and if they’d be willing to pay him the big bucks to keep him. One possibility, as Spears points out, is a sign-and-trade that would allow Houston to use Parsons as a trade chip to upgrade their roster this summer, but that would of course require Parsons to sign off on any deal since he’s a free agent.
It’s very possible that the Rockets will lock up Parsons on a long-term deal this offseason by matching any offer he receives. But keep an eye on Minnesota, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago among others, as they could make things interesting.
The Miami Heat are making Norris Cole “very available” in trade discussions, according to league sources.
Executives continue to say that Miami is making Norris Cole available. If they can move him, they could have even more money to spend.
The HEAT shopped Cole on draft night and continue to make him available in trade discussions with teams, according to multiple sources.
With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem opting out of their contracts (and Chris Bosh expected to do the same before Monday), Cole and recent first-round pick Shabazz Napier are the only guaranteed contracts on Miami’s roster.
Next season, Cole is set to make $2,038,206, and Miami may be interested in dumping his contract in order to free up even more cap space so that Pat Riley can work his magic this offseason and strengthen the team’s roster. If the HEAT can find a taker for Cole without returning any salary, they would have a ton of money to work with this offseason as they look to put an improved supporting cast around James, Wade and Bosh (assuming the Big Three stay in South Beach and sign at somewhat of a discount, as expected).
At times, Cole has played very well for Miami and been a key reserve, but he’s coming off of a mediocre postseason and dreadful showing in the NBA Finals, which may have affected his trade value.
Keep in mind, if the HEAT trade Cole, Napier would be the only point guard left on Miami’s roster since Mario Chalmers is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Of course, with the money that Miami is expected to have, they could make a run at a free agent point guard. Some options include Kyle Lowry, Eric Bledsoe (restricted), Isaiah Thomas (restricted) and Greivis Vasquez among others.
