The Dallas Mavericks decided to relieve head coach Jason Kidd of his duties last week, as new President Masai Ujiri is rebuilding the franchise around Cooper Flagg. Kidd has instantly become one of the best head coaches on the market for teams that have vacancies for the role, like the Chicago Bulls or the Orlando Magic.
Kidd hasn’t been linked as one of the candidates who is a part of the Portland Trail Blazers head coaching search, as the franchise is reportedly looking for a cheap head coach instead of paying what most elite head coaches expect. This might be a problem with Kidd, who made $10 million on the Mavericks per season.
However, Kidd left the franchise with a reported $40 million payout for the four years remaining on his contract. That might make him amenable to joining the Blazers for the next few years, as the franchise pushes up the standings after making the 2026 NBA Playoffs and getting Damian Lillard back next season. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype has reported that there is interest between the Blazers and Kidd.
“It’s worth noting that former Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has quietly been connected to Portland within league circles. Yet, will that chatter lead to anything more substantive now or in the future?”
Scotto also referred back to when Lillard made it clear to the organization that he wanted Kidd to become their head coach in 2021 before the xx-year-old joined the Mavericks for a five-year stint where he went 205-205.
“Jason Kidd is the guy I want,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports in June 2021.
Kidd has been linked to the Magic as well, but the Blazers might be a better destination in terms of the personnel that they have. Kidd likes defensive rosters with big wings and centers already built into the rotation. He’ll also have an elite point guard running the show with Lillard and have the opportunity to develop Scoot Henderson as a long-term replacement.
The Magic have more questions than answers with their roster-building, so the ascending Blazers might be perfect for Kidd.
Even if Blazers owner Tom Dundon decides to break the bank for Kidd, it’s unlikely he’d go anywhere near the $10 million he was receiving annually from the Mavericks. Kidd will need to specifically want the Blazers job to accept a discount, despite receiving a $40 million buyout to exit the Mavericks.
The Blazers are conducting one of the most widespread coaching searches possible, with reported candidates including Terry Stotts, Jeff Van Gundy, Micah Nori, Mike Williams, Greg St. Jean, Jerry Stackhouse, Tyler Lashbrook, Jared Dudley, Ben Sullivan, Bryan Bailey, and Omar Cook. This is without mentioning interim coach Tiago Splitter, who’s expected to be considered among the finalists for the role once the Blazers move forward.
If there’s any coach the Blazers might be willing to spend for, it might be someone with the resume and respect of Kidd.
