JUNE 28, 3:38pm: The Mavericks have issued a pair of press releases officially announcing Kidd as the team’s new head coach and Harrison as the new general manager.
JUNE 25, 12:29pm: The Mavericks have agreed to terms on contracts with Kidd and Harrison, reports MacMahon (Twitter link). Kidd will be Dallas’ new head coach, while Harrison will be the general manager and run the team’s basketball operations department.
Kidd will sign a four-year deal, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
JUNE 25, 5:53am: The Mavericks are in the process of finalizing a deal with Lakers assistant Jason Kidd that will make him the new head coach in Dallas, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.
Sources tell ESPN that Kidd has begun the “early stages” of assembling a coaching staff in preparation for taking the Mavs’ job.
Reports on Thursday indicated that Kidd had emerged as the frontrunner for the Mavs’ coaching vacancy and had begun contract negotiations with the team as it also prepared to fill an opening in its front office.
Longtime Nike executive Nico Harrison, who has strong connections with players throughout the NBA – including Luka Doncic – as a result of his two decades at Nike, is expected to be a hired to a top basketball operations position and the hope is that current VP of basketball operations Michael Finley will remain with the team and work alongside him, per Wojnarowski and MacMahon. The plan is for the duo to take over responsibilities previously held by Donnie Nelson, who left the Mavs earlier this month.
Even before officially joining the franchise, Harrison – who is also close to Kidd – has had in-depth conversations with team owner Mark Cuban about head coaching candidates, according to ESPN. While assistant coach Jamahl Mosley and others were considered, those discussions led to Cuban and Harrison identifying Kidd as their top target. Finley and special advisor Dirk Nowitzki have also lobbied for their former teammate.
Kidd has two stints as a head coach under his belt, having led the Nets for a single season in 2013/14, then the Bucks from 2014-18. He had a combined regular season record of 183-190 (.491) during his four-and-a-half years as a head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee, with a playoff mark of 9-15 (.375), including a lone series win in 2014.
As a player, Kidd was a member of the Mavericks from 1994-96 and again from 2008-12, helping lead the organization to a championship in 2011. Rick Carlisle, who coached Kidd during the point guard’s second stint in Dallas, gave him an unsolicited endorsement for the job on Thursday, telling MacMahon that he believed it would be a great situation for both Kidd and Doncic.
Kidd’s exit from the Mavs in free agency in 2012 was a little messy – he changed his mind and went to New York after originally planning to re-sign in Dallas – his relationship with Cuban and the team has since been smoothed over, Woj and MacMahon say.
Assuming there are no last-minute snags in negotiations between Kidd and the Mavericks, Dallas will become the third team to hire a new head coach this offseason, joining the Pacers (Carlisle) and the Celtics (Ime Udoka). Searches are ongoing for the Magic, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, and Wizards. Those teams will have to remove Kidd from their list of candidates if he was under consideration — we know he at least interviewed with Orlando.
Terrible
Was this a move to make sure they keep Luka happy?
You bet. Cuban is trying anything he can think of to placate Doncic. All of these moves are geared towards keeping Doncic from leaving for greener pastures at first chance. Cuban is hoping he can capture his pink elephant(luring notable free agents to play in Dallas) by hiring Harrison. Note to Cuban, there aren’t any ocean front beaches in Dallas.
No Ocean front but very nice lots on nice lakes!
Manmade reservoirs, no natural lakes in Dallas.
That and to help with recruiting.
There has been talk about DAL recruiting lately… evidence that the Kidd decision may have been made previously. It was widely predicted (incl.me) there would be recycling this year.
I mean, playing detective, that if the decision was made earlier to hire Kidd, that DAL/Cuban would pay for media placement making a point of the Mavs not being able to recruit FAs… creating demand for Kidd and smoothing over a controversial decision when he is announced.
Of course he is possibly the best candidate anyway!
rct, I have read no confirmation. HR says Doncic favors Jamahl Mosely. But he would not know Kidd.
I’m sure I missed it, but has it been confirmed that Luka wanted Kidd? Or is it just speculation?
Luka personality is much stronger than Giannis
Evervbody in the Mavs organization: “Mosley definitely has everything it takes to be a head coach in the NBA”
Why not give him the job then?
FREE LUKA
A lot of players on mavs wanted mosley, including Luka. But that may not matter if they are clesning house. I also think kidd can make luka better, luka turned it over often because of his passes, i think kidd can help him with that. And i think Kidd can design set plays for KP
Good luck with that wife beater!
I can see you are a firm believer of second chances, right?
If in your opinion he doesn’t deserve a job for it… please just kill him & the 99.99% of the rest of people who ever did anythin’ wrong in their lifetime, what is the point, right?
@EL Don
Ah yes, the “this super wealthy abuser physically cant do any other jobs other than this one high profile job that also has dozens of other candidates who have never been arrested could do” excuse. It’s not valid.
Abusers can still easily get normal 9-5ers or become a mailman or learn to code if they want a job. It’s the tier of job/money/profile and power that comes with the job that they should not be allowed anywhere near. Funny how that is never bought up as an option by you.
Marty’s willing to defend a criminal only if it fits his leftist agenda. The same mentality that’s turned California into Australia circa 1850.
Meathead Marty did not suggest a better option than Kidd as HC Mavs.
Australia had the world’s 7th largest economy in 1850? Didn’t know that…
You mean the 5th biggest economy in the world?
So you obviously do not live in California. So the reference is that California is Botany Bay Prison?
Very well thought out. I am assuming you know as little or even less about 1850 Australia than you do about 2021 California.
Hopefully, he matured as a person and doesnt blow this opportunity.
They never do. He wont. Just watch another guy who got a million chances blow it again over picking someone more deserving.
Great choice & great hire!
Seems like a great chance for the legend of J-Kidd & for Luka to finally have the right HC, things can only get better, future is bright in the Big D!!!
Reminds me of Nash hire last summer, by far the best of the year!
Go get Dirk as a assistant.
El Don if you believe the Kidd hiring is a good thing you haven’t been paying attention to him being a head coach.
Tell that to the last Mav coach.
He hasn’t delivered as a coach. I don’t see why teams still entertain the idea of him leading a bench. Floor, sure. Bench, forget it. He’s quickly burned a bridge almost everywhere he’s gone. He’s lucky his career as a player has continued to carry him, otherwise he’d be obsolete.
“That’s so unexpected!” -No one ever.
I still don’t know why Rick left, can someone explain?
Wow, next Cuban will be hiring the fortune teller his wife visits periodically.
Recycling another former head coach who couldn’t win in the NBA. What a shock.
this is hreat for dallas. i like
kidd as a coach.
great
I’m shocked Cuban didn’t hire one of his shark tank investments to run the team.
What is wrong with Mavs front office
Mavericks are not serious.
They’re just KIDD-ING !!!
Who will be next to fall in the coaching world and team. Magic, Portland, Wizards, Pelicans. Will D’Antoni go to Portland. Not sure on this hire with Kidd. Will he surprise us. I hope the right hires with these teams and Carlisle can take the Pacers forward. And the new Celtics coach too. I do not want to talk a lot of bad will. I just hope Kidd can do some good
Not bad…
Good luck with that self absorbed ego maniac Cuban and the Slovenian drama queen!! That whinny little kid will turn Mavs into Rockets. He a ball hog, terrible from free throw line and 3’s!
Tray outclasses this fool, he carried one of the worst team from last year to conference final with only help from Capela and Collins. I bet none of his teammates can stand his arrogance and selfishness.
Not true. Kidd improved to well over 80% on free throws. ;)
What was the main knock on Kidd during his time in Mil? I’m honestly asking.
He was adverse to the 3 point shot mostly. The players loved him. I’m sure he’s adapted and will be fine. I know people don’t like to believe that people can change…
He had Giannis, Middleton, & JohnHenson, who got very good suddenly with him, then levelled off under Budenholzer. There was a problem that second-round ROY Brogdan did not like that trade acquisition Bledsoe took over PG from him and they were ‘only’ 23-22 and Kidd was fired.
I’m sure there were other turbulences Kidd may have been a big part of. He’s not a “Take a knee children” kind of coach. I doubt he has ever made players take a knee. I so hate when that is mandated; coach is not God.
Get a stool coach if you must be higher.
Well I will get off my soapbox now.
Hoping all this collapses around Cuban!
Kidd is a basketball savant, and will do a great job if he’s willing to work at it. He impressed in his one season in BKLN, and whatever happened in MIL can’t override his special feel for the game.
What might undo Kidd is his personal character. In his first go around, he was secretive (to the point of dishonesty) and appears to operate without the best moral compass. Not solely about past legal troubles and worse accusations. It extended to how he interacted with the BKLN FO and other team personnel. Players? Who knows, but liking and respecting a HC, doesn’t mean they trust him, and that’s important. He left BKLN after 1 season, in a shocking move that followed him telling the FO (which too took a chance on him with no coaching experience) that he would not leave. There are always reasons, but they’re not always justifications. Hopefully, he can control is impulses. It’s a “team” effort off the court too, and dis-loyalty doesn’t play. I’m rooting for him. The NBA doesn’t have enough quality HC’s, and I think he can be a special one.
Shocking facts on Jason Kidd: He went to UC Berkeley one of the top academic schools in the world.
#2: to this day he’s never passed the SAT exam.
I must be getting old. When did the SAT become a pass/fail test?
Lol this is def a situation where when Jessa’s parents saw his score they were like “hey at least you passed!”
Considering u have to score a 900 to b academically eligible to play NCAA D1 then that would b considered passing right? Clown show people on these threads.