Jason Kidd Talks Brooklyn Nets Exit: 'They Wanted to Fire Me in December'

So much can happen in a year, especially in the world of basketball. Take Jason Kidd as evidence.

Kidd was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets last year after retiring as a professional basketball player, replacing interim coach P.J. Carlesimo. This season, however, he will be head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Kidd went on his first trip back to New York, but not for the Nets any longer, ESPN reported, as it wrote about what transpired in his departure after just one season. He believed there was a desire to fire him, it noted.

According to ESPN, his belief must have come from rumors that the Nets management was considering to replace him last December, in the midst of a 10-21 start, as reported by some news agencies.

But that's not the only possible reason, as ESPN also noted that the sudden divorce can also be due the management's rejection of the two-time Olympic gold medalist's interest in gaining personnel control on top of his coaching duties.

Kidd denied the allegation, saying in the report: "No, I don't need any power... My [job] is to learn how to be a coach and be the best coach that I can be."

The New York Daily News, on the other hand, had an interesting angle—that Kidd himself could have plotted the end of the riotous Nets tenure.

Multiple sources confirmed that the rookie coach and former point guard clamored for a higher position in the Nets hierarchy, the report noted, explaining that the maneuver could have been an attempt to undercut Billy King, Nets general manager.

The ESPN report mentioned that the management granted Kidd the permission to talk to the Bucks, and the New York Daily News added that the go-signal was handed down after his demand was rejected.

In the ensuing talks, Kidd landed a three-year deal worth $12 million to $15 million after the Bucks gave him two second-round picks, it said.

In a separate ESPN article, King called the ten-time NBA All-Star's departure to the Bucks a "big bump," also saying that it is something his team has to overcome.

"The franchise is bigger than the person," he said, as the Nets search for Kidd's replacement.

Kidd told the New York Daily News: "Did I want to be traded? ... I think once [the Nets] OK'd the talk to Milwaukee, that just showed ... that they wanted to fire me in December to have some legs."

Asked by the ESPN whether he was happy to end up in Milwaukee, Kidd said, "Yeah, why wouldn't I [be]?"

The Bucks play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday. On Nov. 19, Kidd is set to fight his former team in Barclays Center, Brooklyn. Let's see if that reveals some bad blood.