Heading into the summer before the 2026-27 NBA season, the Mavericks have decided to part ways with Jason Kidd as their head coach. The former head coach still had four years and $40 million remaining on his contract with the team.
However, the Mavericks’ governor-owner, Patrick Dumont, authorized their new president, Masai Ujiri, to make the decision. ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider, Shams Charania, first reported this on X as Dallas now begins an aggressive search for Kidd’s replacement.
Following this announcement, the team president, Ujiri, released a statement on the decision.
“Jason has had a meaningful impact on the Dallas Mavericks, both as a Hall of Fame player and as the head coach who helped lead this franchise back to the NBA Finals,” said Ujiri.
“We are thankful for Jason’s leadership, his professionalism, and his commitment to the team. In my short time here, I’ve developed an enormous amount of respect for what he has built. He will always be an important part of the Mavericks family.”
“As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team. We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention.”
“We will conduct a thorough, disciplined search for our next head coach and continue to evaluate our entire basketball operations staff to ensure we compete at the standard Mavs fans expect and deserve.”
During Ujiri’s exit interview, he refused to confirm if Kidd would be returning, which raised suspicions from then on. Kidd’s old comments on Ujiri also resurfaced after the Mavericks announced he is joining the franchise, which indicated friction between the duo.
Jason Kidd took over from Rick Carlisle at the beginning of the 2021-22 season and struggled to make his impact on the team in the long term. In 2022, the Mavericks reached the Conference Finals before losing to the Warriors, and in 2024, they reached the NBA Finals before facing a gentleman’s sweep from the Celtics.
Other than that, the Mavericks have missed the playoffs in each of the remaining three seasons Kidd was their head coach. His overall record with the team is 227-223 (.504), with his regular season record being 205-205, and the playoff record is 22-18.
Just last summer, the Mavericks did not allow the Knicks to interview Jason Kidd for their head coaching role, as they had extended his contract in October 2024, following their trip to the NBA Finals.
Cooper Flagg initially sounded off on Kidd but eventually showed that he had full faith in Kidd’s ability to maximize his potential, but now the new team president’s first official act is parting ways with the NBA legend.
Ever since Mark Cuban sold his majority stake in the team, things have been going downhill. They traded Luka Doncic, fired Nico Harrison, and now also parted ways with Jason Kidd within 17 months.
DeMarcus Cousins predicted that Jason Kidd could now be headed to coach the Magic, who recently parted ways with Jamahl Mosley. It will be interesting to see who replaces Kidd on the Mavericks and where the NBA legend heads for the next phase of his career.
