DALLAS — Jason Kidd confirmed that the Dallas Mavericks denied the New York Knicks’ request last summer to interview him for their head coaching vacancy, but the 52-year-old Hall of Famer said he never seriously considered leaving Texas for the East Coast.
“I was never thinking about leaving Dallas,” Kidd said before Wednesday’s game between the Mavericks and Knicks. “I love working for (Mavericks governor) Patrick (Dumont). Understanding that we have a lot of work here to be done. I’m all in to be able to do that. I was drafted here. I have won here. I love the city. I love the fans. It never crossed my mind to leave Dallas.”
Kidd did add: “But I think it’s safe to say we all enjoy being wanted. That was a nice touch.”
The Athletic reported Nov. 12 that there was mutual interest between Kidd and the Knicks last summer. However, Kidd had two years remaining on his contract with Dallas when New York expressed interest. The Mavericks had no intention of letting Kidd go, and in October, they awarded him a multi-year contract extension.
This is Kidd’s fifth season as the Mavericks’ head coach. He was in charge when Dallas advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2022 and to the NBA Finals in 2024. Both of those teams, of course, featured superstar guard Luka Dončić, whom the Mavericks traded in February.
Last week, the Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison, who was the driving force behind the organization’s decision to trade Dončić for Anthony Davis. Kidd earned two separate contract extensions while Harrison was with Dallas: the first during the 2024 playoffs and the second one a little more than one month ago.
While Harrison is gone, Kidd remains an influential voice in the Mavericks’ organization. Co-interim GMs Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley, minority owner Mark Cuban and Kidd are all voices Dumont is reliant on while Dallas searches for a permanent lead basketball executive.
As a player, Kidd spent eight seasons with the Mavericks across two separate stints. In 2012, Kidd signed with the New York Knicks. The 2012-13 Knicks won 54 games. Kidd retired after that season and then transitioned into coaching.
“It’s the Mecca,” Kidd said about New York. “It’s one of the most popular places to play. I enjoyed that one year. The car ran out of gas at the end. Had to park it.”
The Knicks eventually chose Mike Brown as their head coach. They are 8-5 to begin this season, but are still in search of their first road win.
