Long before Jason Kidd entered his fifth season as coach of the Dallas Mavericks with a new contract extension, his future with the franchise was in doubt.
Kidd was one of several coaches under contract who were pursued during the offseason by the New York Knicks, who needed a successor to fill their head coaching vacancy left by Tom Thibodeau.
The Mavericks denied New York permission to interview Kidd before ultimately hiring Mike Brown as Thibodeau’s replacement. Dallas hosted the Knicks at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night, when Kidd addressed the topic for the first time.
“I was never thinking about leaving Dallas,” Kidd said. “I love Dallas. I love working for [Mavericks governor] Patrick [Dumont]. We have a lot of work to be done, to be a champion, and I’m all in to be able to do that. ”I was drafted here. I won here. I love the city. I love the fans.”
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It’s understandable why the Knicks were interested in Kidd, given his ties to the franchise. His final season as a player was with the Knicks during the 2012-13 season. He also has a strong relationship with Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who Kidd coached in Dallas during the 2021-22 season.
Former general manager Nico Harrison assured reporters that Kidd would be the franchise’s coach after the team selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
“Are there rumors out there about J-Kidd?” Harrison said. “I thought I shut those down. Yes, he will be the head coach next year.”
Kidd had an significant amount of leverage to receive a new extension since he pursued by a rival team. He signed the new deal on Oct. 14 while the Mavericks were in Las Vegas for a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Dumont’s comments from the team’s statement highlighted Kidd’s value to the franchise.
“Our entire organization deeply appreciates Coach Kidd’s leadership, focus and positive energy,” Dumont said. “His achievements on the basketball court as a player and coach are well documented, but I know the most important thing to Jason is his ability to have a positive impact on people’s lives, and specifically young people.
“Coach Kidd embodies everything our organization wants in a leader, and I am happy he will be here for many years to come. We are confident that he will continue to lead our team in a thoughtful and principled manner as we pursue our goal of bringing championships to the city of Dallas.”
The Mavericks appear far from a championship team given their 4-11 start, but Kidd is up for the challenge to guide them back to playoff contention.
“It never crossed my mind to leave Dallas,” Kidd said. “I think it’s safe to say we all enjoy being wanted, so that was a nice touch.”
Protecting the paint: See photos from Mavericks-Knicks matchup at American Airlines Center
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Cooper Flagg-less Mavericks suffer crushing loss to Knicks on last-second foul call
Brandon Williams scored a layup that would’ve tied the game at 113, but he was called for an offensive foul.
Watch: Mavericks fall to Knicks on controversial call in game’s final moments
Brandon Williams was called for an offensive foul on what would have been a game-tying shot that forced overtime.
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