Jabari Parker rejects reports of rift with Jason Kidd

Jabari Parker wasn't with the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday when head coach Jason Kidd was fired. The forward, who is rehabbing a torn left anterior cruciate ligament suffered last February, spent the day practicing with the Wisconsin Herd.

That didn't stop Parker from being connected to Kidd's firing.

Recently, some national media reports had surfaced that a rift had grown between Parker and Kidd, noting that the two either seldom talked or had stopped speaking entirely. One train of thought was that Parker's public on-court work during pregame warm-ups could be a showcase intended for other teams that might be interested in trading for the former No. 2 draft pick. He will become a restricted free agent this summer after he and the Bucks could not come to terms on a contract extension earlier this season.

FIRING: Jason Kidd out after 3 1/2 seasons

D'AMATO: Players shouldn't get a pass on Kidd's firing

PLAYERS: "We've got to come together"

Back with the Herd for another day of practice Tuesday in Oshkosh, Parker dismissed those notions with a laugh and a shake of the head.

“With those reports, I take it that they are using me as a scapegoat," Parker said at Menominee Nation Arena. "I’m not a threat right now, so they target me because I am an easy piece. With where my life is, I try to focus on myself. I have enough problems in trying to get back. That’s not me to put my energy to wish bad upon others."

As far as his relationship with Kidd, Parker said the two talked every day, conversing "every time in the gym when I crossed paths with him."

“He was my coach for four years and it’s always been a good relationship," Parker said, mentioning that he was surprised to hear the news Monday. "Any coach in a head position, we’re going to have disagreements, but most importantly he helped me. That’s what I look at. I was saddened to hear the news because that’s the only guy I’ve known so far (as head coach). I reached out to him (Monday).”

Parker's agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports & Entertainment, echoed Parker's statements, saying the reports he had seen were not true.

"Were there times where there was frustration? Yeah," Bartelstein said. "But that goes on with every team in every locker room at all times. Jason was tremendously supportive of Jabari in getting healthy and his rehab and encouraging him. I know Jabari greatly appreciated that.

"There was no rift between Jabari and Jason that had anything to do with this decision. This was just a decision that the Bucks organization made for whatever reasons they made it. It had nothing to do with Jabari, I can tell you that.”

Parker was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2014 draft just days before Kidd was installed as the team's coach. Expected to be a cornerstone of the Bucks' future along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Parker started all 25 games in which he appeared during the 2014-'15 season before tearing his left ACL for the first time on Dec. 15, 2014 in Phoenix.

Parker spent nearly a full year rehabbing before returning to game action Nov. 4, 2015. He averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 rebounds over 76 contests that season as the Bucks stumbled to a 33-49 record.

During that season, Parker and the rest of the Bucks spent 17 games without Kidd as the head coach underwent and recovered from hip surgery. Joe Prunty filled in as the interim head coach then as he will now for the rest of this season.

Parker, who was in the midst of a breakout season in 2016-'17 before tearing his ACL a second time, believes he and those of his teammates who were there for that experience can draw on that time and their relationship with Prunty moving forward.

“When Prunty filled in for Coach (Kidd), he really embraced that role and he was a leader," Parker said. "He showed great leadership. From that experience, a lot of the guys who have been under him know his philosophy, his hard work and how he was able to drive the ship when we were in the same position in the past.

"Coach Kidd, even though he is going to be gone, I hope that he is there in spirit.”

Herd moves: The Bucks sent rookie D.J. Wilson to the Herd on Tuesday, where he joined Parker for practice. Parker is expected to be recalled soon while the plan is for Wilson to play in Wednesday's game in Oshkosh.

The Herd also acquired the rights to NBA veterans Gary Neal and Ricky Ledo, gaining them via a trade with the Reno Bighorns. Wisconsin sent the rights to Cady Lalanne and Tyler Harvey, two players it acquired through the G League expansion draft, to Reno.

Neal, who is playing in Spain, played 30 games for the Bucks in 2013-'14 before being traded to Charlotte. Ledo was the 43rd overall pick by the Bucks in 2013 but never played for Milwaukee, as he was shipped to Dallas via a draft night trade.

Steve Clark of the Oshkosh Northwestern contributed to this report.