The Mavericks are in advanced discussions with veteran forward Jared Dudley about hiring him as an assistant coach on Jason Kidd‘s staff, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Dudley, 36, has appeared in over 900 NBA regular-season games since entering the league in 2007. He began his career in Charlotte, then spent time with the Suns, Clippers, Bucks, Wizards, Suns, Nets and Lakers over the course of 14 seasons.
However, Dudley has seen his playing time decline significantly in recent years. In 2020-21, he logged just 81 total minutes in 12 games for the Lakers, and a report last week indicated that L.A. wasn’t expected to re-sign him. Now, it seems as if he’s prepared to move on to the next stage of his career.
While Kidd and Dudley never played together, they have plenty of history. Dudley played for Milwaukee in 2014-15 when Kidd was the head coach, and the Hall of Fame point guard was an assistant with the Lakers for the past two years.
Kidd’s coaching staff is still taking shape, but it appears he’s making it a priority to add at least a couple assistants with playing experience. J.J. Barea and Tyson Chandler are among the other NBA vets who have been mentioned as possible candidates.
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