Jason Kidd just won his third playoff series as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, and that may ultimately be enough to buy him some more time.
Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported to his Substack page on Sunday that Kidd, who has been linked to the head-coaching job of the Los Angeles Lakers, is not expected to become available for the taking. Stein notes that Kidd will “likely” receive a contract extension from the Mavericks in the “near future.”
The 51-year-old Kidd, who has one more year remaining after this one on his current contract, has been somewhat up and down during his three seasons as the coach in Dallas. He led the Mavericks to a Western Conference Finals berth in his first season but then missed even the play-in tournament during his second season. Now Kidd is back up again, helping Dallas post a 50-win season this year and earn a berth in the conference semifinals.
Kidd is sometimes criticized for his coaching decisions and even came under fire for his performance at the beginning of the playoffs this year. But with the Mavericks acquiring Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and other quality pieces over the last 15 months, Kidd is making the most of the talent at his disposal. Though the Round 2 matchup against a young, high-powered Oklahoma City Thunder team might be Kidd’s toughest challenge yet, he has apparently banked enough goodwill already to earn himself an expected extension.
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