Another day, another head coaching candidate interviews with the Detroit Pistons. This time its former All-Star point guard Jason Kidd. Since retiring as a player in 2013, Kidd has coached the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Detroit Pistons have interviewed Jason Kidd for their head coaching vacancy, according to a report from Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports.
Kidd coached four seasons in Milwaukee, before being fired back Jan. 22. The Bucks went 139-152 under his guidance.
The news comes just a day after Michigan Wolverines’ head coach John Beilein was said to have interviewed for the same job. In addition to Beilein and Kidd, the Pistons have also spoken with Kenny Smith, Juwan Howard, and Dwane Casey regarding the opening.
Kidd has spent five seasons as a head coach in the NBA. He led the Brooklyn Nets to a 44-38 record in 2013-14, including a berth in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Nets would then fall to the Miami Heat in five games.
In June 2014, he was traded (yes, traded) to the Bucks for a 2015 second-round draft pick (which turned into Pat Connaughton) and a 2019 second-round pick.
Milwaukee made the playoffs in two of his first three seasons with the franchise. However, they would be eliminated in the first round in both 2015 and 2017.
Kidd was fired 45 games into the 2017-18 season. Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst said in a statement that the organization believed a “fresh approach and a change in leadership” was needed to take the Bucks to the next level.
The 45-year-old was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. Kidd was a 10-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Team six times. He dished out the second most assists in league history, finishing his career with 12,091.