Jason Kidd is a bit more than halfway through his second season in Milwaukee, so it should come as no surprise that the honeymoon appears to be over.
According to a Yahoo Sports report, the former All-Star point guard who engineered his exit to Milwaukee after just one year as Nets coach is seeing his power diminish in his new role.
Kidd was looking to make a trade that would have sent Michael Carter-Williams to New Orleans at last week’s trade deadline, but the potential trade was rejected by ownership, according to the report.
A year ago, Kidd likely wouldn’t have faced that kind of veto from management, as he helped guide the Bucks to a playoff spot.
Kidd’s failure to persuade ownership to make a deal at the deadline shows how far the power of his input has faded.
The turn of events shouldn’t be altogether surprising, since he had a tendency to clash with coaches throughout his playing career and hasn’t shied away from controversy as a coach. He pursued the Bucks head coaching position while still employed by the Nets — and Larry Drew was still the head coach in Milwaukee.
This season hasn’t gone as well on the court for Kidd, either.
After finishing as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference in 2015, the Bucks are currently in the 12th spot, just ahead of the hapless Knicks.
Of course, the situation is no better in Kidd’s former home, as the Nets continue to stumble, with only the lowly 76ers keeping them out of the basement in the East, and Brooklyn just hired Sean Marks as its new GM, but they don’t have a draft pick to show for their awful year.
Nevertheless, less than two years after bolting Brooklyn, Kidd’s future in Milwaukee doesn’t look as bright as it once did.