JUNE 21st, 5:18pm: The contract extension is official, the team announced. “Our goal remains to be a consistent contender for NBA Championships and we believe that Jason Kidd is the right man for the job,” said Bucks co-owner Wes Edens. “In terms of preparing, developing and relating to today’s players, we think there is no better fit to lead our young and talented roster. We are excited that Jason will continue to call Milwaukee his home.”
“I truly believe that continuity is extremely important in our business, so I’m very happy for Jason and the Bucks organization to continue the partnership we have,” said GM John Hammond. “Jason and his staff work tirelessly to help our players grow and develop and I look forward to working with them to build our roster into a consistent contender.”
JUNE 13th, 6:27pm: The extension is done and Kidd will receive $18MM over three years after completing the final season of his current deal at $5MM, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reports.
2:28pm: In his full story on extension talks between Kidd and the Bucks, Wojnarowski writes that the deal would add three years to Kidd’s current contract, taking him through 2020.
2:14pm: The Bucks and head coach Jason Kidd are putting the finishing touches on a new contract, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, it’s expected to be a three-year, $15MM+ extension for Kidd.
Kidd, who became the Bucks’ head coach in 2014, has one year remaining on his initial contract with the team, a three-year pact which was believed to be worth in the neighborhood of $5MM annually. It sounds like the head coach’s new deal with Milwaukee will have fairly similar terms to his old one, though it’s not clear if the two sides will tack on three new years, locking up Kidd through the 2019/20 season, or if they’ll tear up the old contract and have the new three-year deal take effect next season.
In his first year with the Bucks in 2014/15, Kidd led the team to a 41-41 record and a playoff berth. The franchise took a step backward this past season in a more competitive Eastern Conference, finishing with a 33-49 record. However, with a handful of young building blocks in place, there’s still plenty of optimism for the future in Milwaukee.
In the wake of the Bucks’ disappointing 2015/16 season, Kidd received a public vote of confidence from team ownership, with co-owner Marc Lasry suggesting an extension may be on the horizon. Wojnarowski subsequently reported in late May that Milwaukee was working on a new deal for its head coach.
They will regret this.
Why do you say that
He is not a very good coach, he was a terrific player but not a good boss. He has the personality flaws of Scott Skiles and the strategy flaws of Mike D’Antoni. He is neither a good teacher nor a good theorist, so he has none of the positives of those two either. In some ways he is like Ted Williams, a smart player who can’t understand why everyone doesn’t get things as quickly as he does. I also think he has a big ego, which doesn’t help in today’s NBA. Should I add that he is also not a good person? That is relevant if you are trying to build a winning culture.
Bucks fan here and I like this. He’s steady, consistent, relatable, tough, really good at times with X’s and O’s. He seems to have built a respectable, reputable coaching staff and is trusted by the Owners. He’s hyper-competitive (who isn’t, I suppose) but grasps the long-game here. I sense that Hammond was ‘nudged’ to give Kidd voice on some personnel decisions (Vaughn, Vasquez, Copeland) and yikes, if there were any doubts his value is on the bench before, reflecting on those moves seals it.
Add to it,the new Asst GM came on board knowing Kidd would be his Coach so I like the trust which that signals. I also like how Hammond reinforced the message of continuity, critical to a team being built around 21-year olds learning their craft.
He handled the SANDERS situation pretty well, quarantining him from the team but also respecting Larry’s privacy. He’s handled Giannis’s little tantrums, he’s dealt with a revolving door of injuries pretty well, he seems to manage minutes well, he handled vets Dudley and Zaza professionally and seems to be a big part of the locker room and basketball culture attractive to the more team-oriented young talent. Just ask Greg Monroe.
Let’s see what he can do converting this young core now into more W’s. I was a huge skeptic when he came on board 2 years ago and I’m converted. I think he’s on the way up.