NBA Insider On Jason Kidd Leaving Mavericks For Knicks: ‘I Would Not Dismiss That Possibility’

According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the New York Knicks are interested in stealing Jason Kidd from the Dallas Mavericks to be their new head coach. 

The Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday despite making the conference finals this year for the first time since 2000. 

Kidd is under contract with the Mavericks, who are not expected to let the Knicks speak with the Hall of Famer. 

However, NBA insider Tim MacMahon of ESPN “would not dismiss” the possibility of Kidd leaving Dallas for New York. 

“So you’ve got to bring in a relationships guy,” MacMahon said on Thursday’s episode of The Hoop Collective. “And listen, one of the names that’s been thrown out there is a man who’s under contract with another team, but definitely a guy who has relationships not just with Jalen Brunson, but with a lot of people in that organization. And that’s Jason Kidd. And what I will say about that is, I would not dismiss that possibility.

“And I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I know or even think that JKidd wants out of Dallas. That would be going way too far. What I can comfortably say is there certainly have been decisions, major franchise decisions that have been made, that he was not on board with. One of which includes the firing of Casey Smith, who JKidd has been extremely tight with since his second tenure as a player in Dallas, who is now running the health and performance group for the New York Knicks.”

Kidd played one season with the Knicks in 2012-13. He has coached the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Mavericks, compiling a record of 362-339 in the regular season and 31-33 in the playoffs. 

Dallas made the NBA Finals last year, losing to the Boston Celtics in five games.

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers this year for Anthony Davis, a move Kidd was not on board with. Dallas missed the postseason this year.