Milwaukee: Jason Kidd, who made his NBA coaching debut with the Brooklyn Nets last year, has been officially named the new coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, the club said on Tuesday.
The Bucks acquired the 41-year-old on Monday from the Nets in exchange for two second-round picks in the 2015 and 2019 NBA entry drafts.
“When you list the characteristics that make a successful head coach, you would include leadership, communication and a competitive drive,” said Bucks general manager John Hammond.
“Jason used all of those traits to become a 10-time all-star player in the NBA, and has now translated his on-court success to the bench.
“We welcome him to the Bucks organisation and look forward to building a Championship-caliber team with him as our head coach.”
Kidd compiled a 44-38 record with Brooklyn last season, his first as a head coach at any level, and was named Eastern Conference coach of the month twice.
Terms of his contract with the Bucks were not released, but the US media is reporting that the deal is for three years and worth between $12 million and $15 million.
He was entering the second year of a four-year, $10.5 million deal with Brooklyn. But bad feeling between Kidd and Nets general manager Billy King increased when Kidd recently approached ownership to ask for a bigger role with the team.
“Jason is a determined leader, a tough-minded competitor and a great teammate,” said Bucks owners Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry.
“We believe his focus, vision and intensity will help him work alongside John and David [Morway] to rebuild the Milwaukee Bucks as we aspire to achieve excellence over the next several years.
“We are excited that Jason will call Milwaukee his new home.”
Kidd replaces Larry Drew, who was fired on Monday. Drew had a 15-67 record last season, his fourth as head coach in the NBA.
