Former Nets Star, Head Coach Reportedly a Candidate for Knicks job

“The way I would describe this is at their mutual intrigue on both sides,” Windhorst said. 

Kidd has spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, helping them reach the Conference Finals twice and the NBA Finals once.

The former NBA champion has been a head coach for nine total seasons, amassing a 362-339 record (.516 winning percentage). After a 17-year NBA career, Kidd was hired for his first head coaching position with the Nets back in 2013.

In his lone season with the Nets, he helped lead the team to the second round of the playoffs (44-38) before being eliminated by the “Big Three” era Miami Heat team. While managing a cast of prominent veterans like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson, Kidd was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in both January and March.

He was later part of a rare coaching transaction, being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for two second-round picks.

His playing career with the Nets lasted much longer, making five All-Star teams over the course of six and a half seasons with the team. During the 2001–02 season, Kidd finished second in MVP voting while leading the franchise to its first-ever NBA Finals appearance, where they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. He helped the Nets return to the finals the following year, eventually falling to the San Antonio Spurs after a hard-fought six game series.

By the end of his tenure in New Jersey, Kidd had helped lead the Nets to six consecutive playoff appearances. During his first season as the Nets’ head coach, he became just the sixth player to have their number retired by the team.

After retiring in 2013, Kidd walked away from the game with an NBA Finals ring, ten All-Star appearances and nine All-Defensive Team selections.