Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd looks on during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mavericks nearing deal to hire former head coach to staff

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks have undergone a lot of coaching turnover already in 2025 and could be facing more. Slovenian native Marko Milic left the staff after the infamous Luka Doncic trade, Alex Jensen left to become the head coach for the University of Utah, and Darrell Armstrong was removed from the staff after an aggravated assault charge.

Then there have been all of the rumors recently revolving around Jason Kidd and the New York Knicks, with the Knicks planning to submit a formal request to interview him in the coming days.

Assistant coach Sean Sweeney interviewed for the Phoenix Suns head coach opening, and reports have indicated that the San Antonio Spurs are interested in trying to pry him away to assist new full-time head coach Mitch Johnson. The Memphis Grizzlies also interviewed Jared Dudley to potentially join their staff.

The Mavericks have a lot of holes to fill on their staff, and Jake Fischer has reported they are "nearing a deal" to hire Jay Triano away from the Sacramento Kings where he was the team's associate head coach.

Triano has been a head coach twice in the NBA, first for the Toronto Raptors from 2008-2011 and then for the Phoenix Suns for the 2017-18 season. He never had a winning season as a head coach, going 108-200 in those four seasons. His best season came in 2009-10 when the Raptors went 40-42 in Chris Bosh's last season with the team. The other three seasons of Triano's head coaching tenure finished with win totals in the 20s.

Despite a poor head coaching record, he has a history of a brilliant offensive mind, being the Kings' offensive coordinator under Mike Brown when they had their elite offenses. If he can bring that type of life to Dallas' offense, it could be a huge boost.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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