Brooklyn Nets: Did Jason Kidd Want To Trade Brook Lopez?

The return of Jason Kidd to Brooklyn this week as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks did nothing more than open a number of old wounds. The two teams played a terrific game that concluded with the Bucks edging it in triple overtime, but it won’t be the game that will linger long in the memory. Instead it will be all the talk, of Brook Lopez, of Billy King, and of a franchise that seems far from harmonious.

The circumstances in which Kidd’s exit came about remain no less shocking today than they did at the time. Having tried to execute a power play that would have seen him not only remain as head coach, but become the team’s general manager also, Kidd found himself with neither position in Brooklyn.

On his return to New York this week, Kidd was asked to comment on his relationship with Nets general manager Billy King, the man who’s job he had hoped to take, and his feelings on King and the rest of Brooklyn’s management were clear to say the least. According to The Brooklyn Game, Kidd Said:

"“He’s management. So that’s– my relationship with Billy was to figure out how to get things right when he was around. So. There was really no relationship.”"

When asked about how his time ended in Brooklyn, Kidd then returned to speak about how he felt of the Nets’ management:

"“I think it really helped me to see what I was dealing with, what type of people I was dealing with.”"

These comments were to be expected, there was bound to be bad blood between the two parties, but some of the other rumors that have emerged in regards to Kidd’s time in Brooklyn, may have a much more significant impact on the team.

According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, about a month before Kidd left for Milwaukee, he suggested to management that they should look into the possibility of trading Brook Lopez for Bucks center Larry Sanders. Now, this can be read in one of two ways.

For the conspiracy theorists out there, they may believe that Kidd knew that he was going to leave for the Bucks and was trying to manufacture a way to bring Lopez with him. On the other hand, and much more simply, Kidd might just have preferred taking a chance on Sanders’ temperament over a chance on Lopez’s health.

The emergence of this rumor at this particular time is fascinating, not only because of Kidd’s recent return to Brooklyn, but also because of the furor that has surrounded Brook Lopez recently. If Kidd did indeed look to make that trade due to being unsure of Lopez as a player, he may not be the last coach to think that way.

It’s a been a rough start to the season for Lopez, and at the moment his relationship with new Brooklyn head coach Lionel Hollins could only be described as fractious at best.

Having called out Lopez about his toughness in preseason, Hollins’ dissatisfaction with the 26-year-old seems to have continued to grow from there. During the game against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 9, Hollins benched Lopez for the fourth quarter in an attempt to find a way to stop Nikola Vucevic. After that game, Hollins told ESPN.com:

"“Brook wasn’t guarding him, and I wanted him to guard. Simple as that. Get on him. You know he’s shooting the ball and making shots, you’ve got to guard him.”"

Then earlier this week after Lopez really struggled in a game against the Miami Heat, Hollins was once again asked about Lopez, only to counter with this slightly bizarre reply, as reported by The Brooklyn Game:

"“I don’t want to talk about Brook right now. I don’t want to talk about any individuals. I want to talk about the game and our effort. I hear what you’re asking, I just don’t want to go there right now. It’s not a good time for me.”"

One thing is for sure, there’s a pattern emerging here. The front office in Brooklyn may love Lopez and see him as their All-Star center, but when it comes to matters on the court, the coaches aren’t necessarily finding it so simple.

With Sanders playing almost nine minutes less than Lopez per game so far this season, it’s hard to make a direct comparison between the two players, but by looking at the pair’s numbers adjusted per 36 minutes we get a clear picture of what both players are about.

Lopez is a far superior scorer, averaging 20 points per 36 minutes, as opposed to Sanders’ 10 points. On the other end of the floor the contrast is stark though. Sanders averages 12.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes as opposed to Lopez’s marks of 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.

The rebounding differential between the two is astonishing, and perhaps highlights the lack of toughness and effort that Hollins has been calling his center out on.

One thing is for sure, if Brook Lopez wants to remain a factor in Brooklyn long-term, he’s going to have to start to do a lot more to win over his coaches.