Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is one of the two active NBA coaches who have drawn interest from the New York Knicks after Tuesday’s shocking Tom Thibodeau firing, NBA insider Marc Stein reports.
Stein added that the Knicks are also interested in Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka.
Kidd was a finalist in the Knicks coaching search ahead of the 2020-21 season that ultimately went to Thibodeau.
The Knicks fired Thibodeau three days after their season ended in a Game 6 loss to the lower-seeded but deeper Indiana Pacers team. In the statement the Knicks released announcing Thibodeau’s firing, team president Leon Rose underscored their singular focus on winning a championship.
Thibodeau set a high bar with back-to-back 50-win seasons, four playoff berths in five seasons and at least one playoff series win over the last three seasons and their first conference finals appearance in 25 years.
Jason Kidd’s Ties With Knicks
Getty NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 13: Jason Kidd #5 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden on December 13, 2012 in New York City.
Kidd makes sense as a candidate for the Knicks job, given his resume and ties with the team.
Kidd spent his final playing year in the NBA with the Knicks. He was a member of the 54-win Knicks team during the 2012-13 season, a feat that has never been done until Thibodeau arrived. Thibodeau guided the Knicks to back-to-back 50-win season before he was fired.
Like Thibodeau, Kidd’s stint with the Knicks was marred by a playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Following his lone season with the Knicks, Kidd retired and quickly embarked on an NBA coaching career. He had stops in Brooklyn, Milwaukee and an assistant coaching gig with the Lakers before taking over in Dallas when current Pacers coach Rick Carlisle left in 2021.
Kidd won an NBA championship as a player (with the Mavericks in 2011) and as an assistant coach (with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020). He had also guided the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year.
Reunion With Jalen Brunson?
Getty Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd talks with then-Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson during the Western Conference Playoffs in 2021.
Kidd has steered the Mavericks — during Jalen Brunson‘s breakout year — to the Western Conference Finals in the 2021-22 season. Brunson left Dallas after the season and joined the Knicks.
Kidd was happy when Brunson bagged a four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks in free agency.
“The biggest thing is I’m happy he got paid,’’ Kidd said on the “All the Smoke’’ podcast in 2022. “He helped us. I know [Mavericks owner Mark] Cuban doesn’t like this, but I love when I can get a player get paid.’’
It was Kidd who first trusted Brunson with the ball and the guard blossomed into Mavericks’ second-best player next to Doncic that season.
“I tell a player on the first day of camp, ‘Tell me what you want,’ ” Kidd said. “Everyone wants shots. Everyone wants minutes. But that’s not the truth. They want to get paid and want to play.
“Cool. I can help you do that. The other part of that is I’m going to ask for a couple of things. Trust, communicate and play hard. If you ask Brunson, he will tell you he listened [to me] and good things happened. I just want to put people in a position to be successful.’’
Aside from Kidd’s previous working relationship with Brunson, Stein noted that the 52-year-old coach “remains close to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is oft-described as a potential Knicks trade target should Antetokounmpo ever decide to push for a move.”
Mavericks to Reject Knicks’ Pursuit of Jason Kidd?
The Mavericks are expected to reject the Knicks if they ask permission to speak with Kidd, according to Stein. However, he noted that it hasn’t been confirmed as of Tuesday night.
“Kidd has two seasons left on a contract extension he received during last season’s playoffs with the Mavericks in the midst of a run to the NBA Finals and with the Los Angeles Lakers expected to show interest in hiring him to replace Darvin Ham,” Stein wrote.
The Mavericks had just revamped the team midseason, trading away former franchise star Luka Doncic to the Lakers. If Kidd remains in Dallas, he will coach a team that will have no Kyrie Irving (ACL) for most of next season and bank on Anthony Davis and presumed No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg to keep them afloat.
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