Hand it to Aaron Goodwin today. The kingpin of Goodwin Sports Management and Damian Lillard’s agent may be engineering one of the most deft power plays in Trail Blazers’ history.

Terry Stotts and the organization parted ways on Friday.

Camp Lillard wasted no time in making it clear it wants the keys to the empire. I’ll leave out the — “or else” — part for now. But in the wake of Stotts’ departure Lillard told Yahoo! Sports, “Jason Kidd is the guy I want.”

Goodwin was Kidd’s agent at the beginning of his NBA career. The Lakers’ assistant is now with Jeff Schwartz, best I can tell. But still, I couldn’t help but wonder what Goodwin and Lillard are up to here and where it might go next. Chauncey Billups, a well-known Neil Olshey confidante, was also mentioned as a short-list candidate.

Congrats, Neil.

You always wanted to star in a soap opera. Break a leg.

Kidd’s baggage is troubling. The Lakers looked past it and hired him anyway. I wonder now if Blazers’ controlling owner Jody Allen will do the same. Or will she risk alienating Lillard and having to start all the way over?

That’s where our state’s NBA organization finds itself today and I’m fascinated by how this will play out.

Remember, Kidd was arrested and pleaded guilty in 2001 for domestic violence. More alleged abuse of his then-wife was well documented in their divorce in 2007. And he also once pleaded guilty to driving impaired after crashing his SUV into a utility pole.

As a player in college at Cal, Kidd started the mutiny that got Lou Campanelli fired. As a pro, he ran Byron Scott out of a head coaching job. Then, when Kidd’s playing career ended, he became a coach himself. His first season on he job he was fined $50,000 by the NBA for intentionally spilling a drink on the court to stop play because he was out of timeouts. Later, Kidd demanded full control of the Nets basketball operations and when the organization refused he forced his way out.

Today’s question: Does Lillard actually want Kidd?

Or does he just want out of Portland?

Lillard will be the league’s first $50-million-a-year player. He got a sweetheart sneaker deal with Adidas. Nobody disputes that Goodwin does a magnificent job representing his clients. But the Blazers aren’t the client here. Lillard is. None of what we’re seeing puts the franchise first.

At different points of his career, Goodwin has represented LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Webber, Damon Stoudamire and Gary Payton.

Also, he had Juwan Howard, whose name also curiously surfaced in some circles along with Billups and Kidd as a possible replacement for the Stotts.

I’m not reading this as a head to head Olshey vs. Lillard battle . The GM would lose that in a first-round knockout. Olshey is probably more worried about his job security after offering Stotts up as a sacrifice for his own sins. But it’s curious to me that after the Blazers fired Stotts with $10 million left on his contract that the forces working behind the scenes went to the mattresses trying to gain control. It’s something Paul Allen would have never allowed if he were still alive and guarding his basketball baby.

Back-channeling is nothing new in professional sports. It happens all the time. Agents, coaches, players and media are in a perpetual dance. It’s why the regular-season report about Stotts’ eroding job security attributed to a “source” was passed along as gospel. Franchise power plays aren’t unusual, either, especially when the parties involved smell weakness in the organization and control of Trail Blazers, Inc. feels up for grabs right now.

At the end of the 2002-03 NBA season, Scottie Pippen tried to work behind the scenes to get a small ownership stake in the Trail Blazers. His career was winding down. Pippen’s contract with Portland ended and he reached out to Allen and tried to get a meeting. Pippen wanted to discuss the possibility of coming back for one more season with the Blazers in exchange for a small percentage of team ownership.

Allen refused to even meet.

Said one franchise source: “Paul wouldn’t even call Pip back.”

We’re about to learn a little more about his sister, Jody Allen. The franchise has always been much bigger than one player or person. Lillard is making public demands. I guess I don’t blame him. He’s earned the right to have a vote. I’m surprised long-time Lillard ally and former Portland assistant David Vanterpool wasn’t mentioned. That is, unless Vanterpool is so loyal to his former boss (Stotts) that he wouldn’t entertain taking his job.

Olshey remains employed, for now, despite orchestrating another first-round playoff disappointment. His favorite candidate appears to be Billups. The franchise is now reality television. Goodwin is wrapped up in it, too. It’s his job to see how much leverage and power Lillard might wrest. There were a lot of glowing things said amid the departure of Stotts. But be sure, if Lillard wanted Stotts to stay, he’d still be employed today.

This franchise needs leadership. Not just a coach but organizational direction. At the very least what is certain to come from the drama is some clarity on who is running the operation and where it wants to go.

Is Lillard digging in? Or just offering a suggestion? Would the Blazers dare to trade Lillard at the height of his value? His public demand on Friday marked a sudden tactical shift by a player who has mostly preached loyalty and franchise unity. Lillard has deftly worked behind the scenes to push his agendas in the past. Now, he’s out front, calling his shot.

Lillard has three years remaining on his contract. It’s a one-year player option after that. There’s a line of other franchises forming outside One Center Court ready to make offers for the All-Star should Portland balk at the notion of handing over so much control. It’s not the kind of game you buy a ticket to watch. But we all should have probably seen this coming.