It was reported last week that the New York Knicks were eyeing Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd for their vacancy at the helm.
According to a report published by James Edwards of The Athletic on Monday, the Mavericks are unlikely to even allow the Knicks to interview the Hall of Fame guard.
“The Knicks have interest in Jason Kidd, per league sources. The problem? Kidd, the coach of the Dallas Mavericks, has two years left on his contract,” Edwards wrote. “The Knicks, while they might be preparing to ask for permission to interview Kidd for their vacancy, have not yet made a formal request. There has yet to be any contact as of Monday morning, per a Mavericks team source. And yet, when that time comes, per multiple league sources, the expectation is that the Mavericks will deny that request.”
New York made a somewhat surprising move, firing head coach Tom Thibodeau following the team’s Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers. Thibodeau helped get the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons (including each of the past three) and this spring was the franchise’s first conference finals appearance in 25 years.
New York has also steadily improved its regular season record each of the last three seasons, going from 47 wins in 2023 to 50 last season and 51 in 2025.
Knicks Expected to do ‘Exhaustive Search’ Including Coaches at ‘Every Level’
While Kidd (who played for the Knicks in his final NBA season in 2012-13) may not be available, New York is reportedly planning to cast a wide net in its search for a new leader.
“New York is expected to do an exhaustive search that includes coaches at every level, per league sources. However, the expectation for this franchise is to win a championship. Whoever is hired has to carry the weight of that,” Edwards wrote. “That the Knicks fired Thibodeau and are currently juggling the idea of trying to pry away currently employed head coaches suggests that Thibodeau’s firing might have been made without a sure-fire successor in mind. With that said, maybe the Knicks’ decision-makers really believe Kidd is attainable. The Mavericks head coach has connections to several members of the Knicks organization, including star guard Jalen Brunson and Knicks vice president of sports medicine Casey Smith. Furthermore, Kidd didn’t always enjoy being Dallas’ spokesperson in the aftermath of the franchise trading Luka Dončić, per league sources.”
Edwards mentioned former Denver Nuggets champion head coach Michael Malone, former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown, former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego as possible replacements for “Thibs.” The insider opined that on paper, none of them would be “clear-cut upgrades” over Thibodeau, however.
“A lot of moving parts would have to work in the Knicks’ favor in order to make Jason Kidd their next head coach. There’s nothing wrong with targeting an employed head coach for their vacant position. Due diligence is good. It just seems a little odd that it appears to be Plan A,” Edwards wrote.
Stephen A. Smith Recommends Another Candidate: ‘He Knows and Feels and Vibes With New York’
During Monday morning’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith argued that another former star point guard-turned head coach should be strongly considered for the vacancy in the Big Apple.
“I’m gonna always mention the name Mark Jackson because he’s away from the game for a decade, as a coach. This man was responsible for building Golden State before Steve Kerr was brought in and took over and piggybacked off of that and ascended to four championships, no doubt,” Smith said. “(Jackson) knows and feels and vibes with New York. He’s a native.”
The 60-year-old Jackson was selected 18th overall by the Knicks in the 1987 NBA Draft and won that season’s Rookie of the Year award. Jackson was an All-Star in his second campaign and spent seven years with New York across two stints during his 17 seasons as a player.
He compiled a 121-109 coaching record during his three years with the Golden State Warriors from 2011-2014, as well as a 9-10 postseason mark over two playoff appearances.
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