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[Saba Sports News] The New York Knicks’ reported interest in Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has added an intriguing wrinkle to the NBA coaching landscape—though it may not have much substance.
Kidd remains under contract with Dallas for two more seasons, and the Mavericks are not expected to grant permission for any offseason interview requests from the Knicks.
Speculation has swirled that Kidd, who notably distanced himself from the Luka Doncic trade that shocked the league in February, may be looking for a way out of Dallas.
However, longtime Mavericks insider Marc Stein isn’t buying it. He dismissed the idea that Kidd is “secretly angling” to become the Knicks’ next head coach.
“He is particularly close to Mavericks stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. He and his family are very settled in Dallas,” Stein wrote on The Stein Line Substack. “And, as covered in last Friday’s piece, Kidd has been operating as the Mavericks’ spokesman on all things Cooper Flagg since they won the draft lottery … expressing his excitement about coaching Flagg during recent interviews.”
Still, Stein acknowledges that very few coaches—employed or not—would flat-out reject interest from the Knicks, a franchise with deep pockets and a willingness to spend, as evidenced by their decision to part ways with Tom Thibodeau despite $30 million remaining on his deal.
Kidd has been the Mavericks’ head coach since 2021 and holds a long history with the franchise, including a stint as a player and a key role in their 2011 championship run. That said, he also has ties to the New York market. He played for the Nets and finished his career with the Knicks in 2013 before launching his coaching career with Brooklyn.
If the Knicks can’t land Kidd, it remains unclear who their next head coach might be, as no clear frontrunner has emerged to replace Thibodeau.