Jason Kidd not guaranteed to return as Mavericks coach

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Jason Kidd not guaranteed to return as Mavericks coach

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated May 5, 2026 4:01 PM ET

New Dallas Mavericks team president Masai Ujiri gave Jason Kidd some reason to sweat on Tuesday.

Ujiri was introduced as the new Mavericks president, and one of the topics he was asked to address was Kidd’s future as head coach. Interestingly, Ujiri chose not to make a clear statement about Kidd’s future.

Ujiri said he plans to look at the franchise from top to bottom before making any major decisions, and refused to completely commit to Kidd going forward. He added, however, that he kept George Karl and Dwane Casey in place when taking over Denver and Toronto, respectively.

Asked again about Kidd’s status, Ujiri says he needs to go through a process before making decisions about Kidd’s future and other matters but points out he kept George Karl and Dwane Casey in place in Denver and Toronto after taking over the front office with those teams. https://t.co/5WkZDpatpG
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 5, 2026

Ujiri’s reassurances regarding Karl and Casey might not make Kidd feel better. Ujiri did keep Karl through his entire Nuggets tenure and initially signed Casey to a contract extension with Toronto. He later fired Casey in 2018, however, just after Casey was named Coach of the Year.

The good news for Kidd is ownership likes him so much that he got some buzz to be named GM himself before Ujiri was hired. On the other hand, one has to wonder if the Mavericks would bring in a well-respected figure like Ujiri if they were not prepared to let him make his own personnel decisions. There is no reason to think Kidd’s job is in imminent danger, but until Ujiri clearly states that he will be staying, things might be a bit tense for him.

Kidd would probably land another job quickly if he were dismissed, based on the interest he has received in recent seasons. He is 205-205 since joining the Mavericks with an NBA Finals appearance to his name.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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