The Mavericks and head coach Jason Kidd have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Tuesday.
The decision comes roughly two weeks after Masai Ujiri was named as president of basketball operations.
Kidd has been the Mavs’ head coach since June of 2021. During his tenure, Dallas advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024. The Mavericks endured their third losing season under Kidd this past year, finishing with a 26-56 record. He went 205-205 overall in his time leading the team with a winning record in just two of his five seasons.
Kidd had four years left on his deal, a person familiar with his contract confirmed to The Dallas Morning News.
Ujiri addressed Kidd’s departure in a statement from the team.
“Jason has had a meaningful impact on the Dallas Mavericks, both as a Hall of Fame player and as the head coach who helped lead this franchise back to the NBA Finals,” Ujiri said in a prepared statement. “We are thankful for Jason’s leadership, his professionalism and his commitment to the team. In my short time here, I’ve developed an enormous amount of respect for what he has built. He will always be an important part of the Mavericks family.”
Kidd led the Mavericks to the Western Conference finals in his first season as coach despite entering the postseason as a No. 4 seed. They lost in five games to the Golden State Warriors, who’d eventually win the championship in 2022.
Kidd previously had a brief stint as coach of the Brooklyn Nets and spent three-plus seasons as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. He has a 388-395 career record and has made the playoffs in five of his 10 seasons as a head coach.
It is currently unclear as to what will happen with Kidd’s staff, which includes a pair of former head coaches in Frank Vogel and Jay Triano, along with assistants Popeye Jones, Phil Handy and Mike Penberthy.
Ujiri will hold a media availability on Wednesday morning to address his second major decision since taking the helm of the Mavericks/
“As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team,” Ujiri said. “We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention. We will conduct a thorough, disciplined search for our next head coach and continue to evaluate our entire basketball operations staff to ensure we compete at the standard Mavs fans expect and deserve.”
The Mavericks will immediately begin a comprehensive search for their 11th head coach in franchise history.
*This story will be updated as more information becomes available.