Former NBA star Jason Kidd will be the next Brooklyn Nets coach, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Brooklyn hasn't formally announced the hiring, and the final details of the contract are being worked out.
It's expected to be a three-year deal and should be officially announced sometime this week, according to the Inquirer's source.
Kidd had been a rumored candidate for the Nets' coaching vacancy after he retired from the NBA last week. He reportedly met on Monday with Brooklyn's management about the vacancy. Since then, his name joined Nets general manager Billy King's list of potential candidates.
Kidd, 40, retired last Monday after 19 years in the NBA. He has ties to the Nets franchise, which likely helped to mitigate his lack of coaching experience. Kidd led the Nets to two NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003; he also has a close relationship with Nets' guard Deron Williams.
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Sunday gave his endorsement to Kidd.
"When you've played for a number of coaches, he's pretty much seen everything that the NBA can offer," the future Hall of Fame coach told reporters. "So he does have experience. If he's crazy enough to want to be a head coach in this league, I wish him all the best.
"He certainly has the intuitive skills to know what's going on out there. Obviously, he would be able to have relationships with the players that he's had with his coaches throughout. So if that's what he wants to do, and that's who [the Nets] want to hire, I think he's got an opportunity and a possibility to be really, really good at it."
Although Kidd has no coaching experience, he's expected to assemble a veteran crew of assistants to help him transition from player to head coach. An ESPN source familiar with the situation had said on Monday that there were "some hurdles to overcome."
