Mavericks believe Jason Kidd will return as head coach next season, not fill Knicks vacancy: Sources

Amid widespread speculation that Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd could force his way out to join the New York Knicks, there are strong signs that the 52-year-old Hall of Famer will stay put.

As The Athletic reported, the Knicks have serious interest in hiring Kidd — who has two seasons left on his contract — after they shockingly fired Tom Thibodeau last week. Yet according to team and league sources, the Mavericks continue to privately insist to key stakeholders that Kidd won’t be going anywhere. According to a team source, the Knicks had yet to request permission to speak with Kidd as of Tuesday afternoon.

The widely held belief is that Kidd, ultimately, is hoping to parlay the Knicks’ interest into a lucrative contract extension. It remains to be seen how Kidd might respond if he doesn’t get the desired extension, and there is historical precedent here when it comes to Kidd spurning the Mavericks for the Knicks.

At the end of his decorated 19-year playing career — in the summer of 2012 — Kidd was expected to re-sign with the Mavericks in free agency. But he changed course abruptly, signing a multiyear deal to play alongside Carmelo Anthony in New York. As of now, the Mavericks don’t believe that Kidd will leave them for the Knicks again.

Kidd has been present at the Mavericks’ practice facility this past week as they’ve held workouts and has functioned in a business-as-usual capacity. What’s more, the negotiations with former Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns head coach Jay Triano for a lead assistant-coaching position with the Mavericks have been revealing when it comes to Kidd.

According to a league source, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made it clear to Triano during the process that Kidd would remain the head coach. Triano, the league source said, agreed to terms on the assistant position on Tuesday. NBA reporter Jake Fischer was first to report on the Mavericks’ interest in Triano.

Triano has spent the past three years as a Sacramento Kings assistant. In September, he was promoted to associate head coach. The Kings fired his boss Mike Brown in December and tapped Doug Christie for their head-coaching position.

The Knicks are the only NBA team with a head-coaching vacancy right now. They fired Thibodeau after he led them to the playoffs in four of the five years he was in charge. New York made the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years this past spring, but it still decided to part ways with Thibodeau.

Kidd, who was one of the candidates the Knicks interviewed in their 2020 hiring cycle, has a strong relationship with New York’s star point guard in Jalen Brunson. Kidd coached Brunson for one season with the Mavericks in 2021-22. Brunson’s strong performance in the 2022 playoffs helped him earn a four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks.

The Mavericks have downplayed the possibility of a Kidd-Brunson reunion this week. The belief internally in Dallas is that Kidd will be the team’s coach next season.

(Photo: Alex Goodlett / Getty Images)