If Jason Kidd leaves, some Nets players may go, too
Jason Kidd and Paul Pierce look on after a call against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 23, 2013. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Done with his wheeling and dealing on the night of the NBA draft, Billy King explained the usual agenda that leads into the free-agency frenzy.
"It's always a two-part,'' the Nets general manager said Thursday at Barclays Center. "You have the draft and then you go right into that.
"As soon as I finish here, we'll start talking about that right now [with Nets chairman Dmitry Razumov]. Guys that didn't get drafted, maybe bring them to summer league. The plan of attack for guys come July 1.''
The blueprint might have to be altered, though, given the stunning news that Jason Kidd is on the verge of being a one-and-done coach. It has the potential to shake things up quite a bit as free agency looms at midnight Tuesday, creating serious uncertainty about whether the Nets are going to be able to retain any of their own key unrestricted free agents.
They want to bring back Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston and Alan Anderson, but with Kidd apparently headed for the door, it might give the players reason to search for better situations elsewhere.
Livingston made it known previously that Kidd was a major reason why he settled for the veteran's minimum with the Nets, taking less to play for him with hopes of contending for a title.
A league source reiterated Sunday that Kidd's influence was "absolutely'' a factor in Livingston's decision to come to Brooklyn. So if Kidd is not back on the bench, the three-year, $10.4-million deal the Nets can offer might not be enough to keep Livingston around after his strong season.
After opting out of his contract, Andray Blatche, who was scheduled to earn $1.4 million in the final year of his two-year deal, appears to be on the outside looking in.
Blatche frequently has said he wants to return to the Nets, writing on his Instagram page that "Brooklyn is everything to me do I wanna go NO I wanna stay and finish my career there but it's no longer up to me what happens from now on is just gonna have to be.''
So if the Nets do move on from Blatche, it leaves a need for front-line help behind Brook Lopez and his surgically repaired foot, Mason Plumlee and Kevin Garnett. Then again, Garnett's plans to return for the final year of his contract could change if Kidd exits.
Add it all up and it's going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out for the Nets.
