By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Jason Kidd has been relieved of his duties in Dallas. You could see the writing on the wall ever since the Luka Doncic trade to LA a couple of years ago. A lot of blame has been tossed around the organization after the trade. Keep in mind that the owners looked to move the Mavericks to Las Vegas last season. The Mavericks organization has limped through the season with trades and injuries. “Who do you blame for the team’s downfall or success?” The head coach! There’s a laundry list of blame to be passed around for the Mavericks in the last 3 years and Kidd was at the top of the list.
Jason Kidd’s record in Dallas
Dallas is 205-205 in 5 years with Coach Kidd at the helm. In his first season as Mavericks head coach the team went 52-30 and lost in the conference finals. In the 2022-23 season the team went 38-44 and missed the playoffs. In the 2023-24 season, Dallas went 50-32 and lost in the NBA Finals. In the 2024-25 season, Dallas went 39-43 and missed the playoffs for the second time in 3 seasons. Last season, Dallas went 26-56 and missed the playoffs in their second straight season. That’s missing three post-season opportunities in four seasons if you’re counting at home. Kidd’s playoff record is 22-18 overall. Dallas was a competitive organization for years in the NBA and after former GM Nico Harrison made that blockbuster trade with the LA Lakers Dallas failed to make the playoffs or have a winning record.
The Mutual Decision
Both sides came to what is called a “Mutual Decision” to part ways. When Nico Harrison was relieved of his duties in the middle of the 2024-25 season after the trade, Jason Kidd wanted to be promoted to President of Basketball Operations for the Mavericks. On May 5th, when Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont introduced new team President Masai Ujiri last week; we knew that the Mavericks was going to make some moves. Ujiri was given all the power to make decisions for the organization moving forward. When he was asked if Jason Kidd would be the Mavericks head coach for the future, Ujiri responded without tipping his hand. Kidd had 4 years and $40 million left on his contract from his extension after the Mavs made it to the 2024 Finals.
My Thoughts
Jason Kidd is a decent head coach that struggles at times with in-game adjustments. I feel like he doesn’t get all that he can out of his star players. Sure, he’s a Hall of Famer with the pedigree of being one of the greats, but we’re not talking about him playing. Look at the head coaching jobs he’s had: he was with the Brooklyn Nets 2013-2014. On that team he had Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and Darren Williams just to name a few. The Brooklyn Nets ended the season 44-38 and lost the Miami Heat 4 games to 1. He signed to coach the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014-2018 and had a decent team with a young Giannis Antetokounmp and talent around him but couldn’t get things done there. He was one of the assistant coaches with the LA Lakers when they won their last NBA title in 2020. His mishandling of stars and talent has been his downfall in every stop. I was surprised when Dallas blocked him from interviewing with the New York Knicks in 2024 after Dallas played in the NBA Finals. Jason Kidd is a good coach who will land on his feet, but he will need to change his coaching strategy!
