{"id":742375,"date":"2026-05-24T02:03:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T02:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/742375\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T02:03:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T02:03:18","slug":"insider-reveals-jason-kidds-potential-next-career-move-after-mavs-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/742375\/","title":{"rendered":"Insider Reveals Jason Kidd\u2019s Potential Next Career Move After Mavs Exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>\u2019 coaching search has been defined by one overriding characteristic since new owner Tom Dundon took control in March: the reported salary ceiling of $1-2 million annually. A figure so low that a handful of NBA assistant coaches approached by the organization have already declined to participate in the process. That budget constraint has shaped every name in the conversation. It has also inadvertently opened the door for one of the most decorated coaches available, a man the Mavericks are still paying $40 million not to coach their team.<\/p>\n

NBA insiders Jake Weinbach and Mike Scotto reported that Jason Kidd<\/a> could emerge as a candidate for Portland\u2019s head coaching vacancy, and the financial logic behind it is straightforward. \u201cKidd has a relationship with new Blazers owner Tom Dundon and may be willing to accept a low annual salary since the Mavericks still owe him $40 million over the next four years,\u201d Weinbach wrote. The arithmetic solves Portland\u2019s budget problem immediately. Kidd does not need the Trail Blazers to pay him a market-rate head-coaching salary, as he is already receiving one from Dallas for doing nothing. Whatever Portland offers on top of that is supplementary income attached to a job he genuinely wants.<\/p>\n

The Dundon relationship is the detail that makes the candidacy real rather than speculative. Throughout this search, Tom Dundon signaled that he wants a coach who will be accountable to him directly and whose profile aligns with his vision of a harder-edged culture. A key stated priority from Dundon throughout the process has been finding someone who will \u201ccoach players hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That description fits Kidd\u2019s reputation in Dallas. He was respected for demanding standards even when the roster around him was not good enough to meet them. A prior personal connection between the two men, combined with Kidd\u2019s willingness to work for an incremental salary, has essentially created a candidate profile that no other name in Portland\u2019s current pool can replicate.<\/p>\n

The Blazers\u2019 search narrowed to a group of finalists that currently includes Jeff Van Gundy, Tiago Splitter<\/a>, Micah Nori, Tyler Lashbrook, and Mike Williams.<\/p>\n

They are all assistant coaches or first-time head coaching candidates, which is exactly why Kidd\u2019s name landing in the conversation represents a significant shift. Kidd guided Dallas to a Western Conference Finals in his first season and an NBA Finals appearance in 2024, a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that dwarfs every other name being discussed in Portland.<\/p>\n

The question of whether the Blazers\u2019 budget constraints made a coach of his caliber accessible has just been answered by the Mavericks\u2019 buyout structure, which effectively subsidizes his next job at whatever franchise is willing to give him one.<\/p>\n

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\u201cA Relationship With Dundon\u201d: Why Portland Makes Sense for Kidd\u2019s Next Chapter<\/p>\n

The Trail Blazers are a more attractive landing spot than their recent turbulence implies. Interim coach Tiago Splitter guided Portland to a 42-40 regular-season record after he took over following Chauncey Billups<\/a>\u2019 arrest and suspension on federal gambling charges, a genuinely impressive result for a team navigating front office chaos.<\/p>\n

\"MayMay 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd at a press conference after winning the Western Conference Championship against the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Deni Avdija<\/a> emerged as a legitimate star. And the core of Avdija, Scoot Henderson<\/a>, and Shaedon Sharpe<\/a> represents one of the youngest and most intriguing frontlines in the Western Conference, the kind of developmental canvas that a coach with Kidd\u2019s player development track record is well-positioned to work with.<\/p>\n

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Damian Lillard<\/a> is also potentially returning next season, which would immediately elevate Portland\u2019s ceiling from playoff participant to genuine contender conversation.<\/p>\n

Kidd has $40 million in guaranteed money coming from Dallas, regardless of what he does next, which means that his only motivation for taking any job is the work itself. That motivation is significant. Coaches who need the money take whatever is available. Coaches who don\u2019t need it choose what genuinely interests them.<\/p>\n

The fact that Kidd is reportedly open to Portland, and specifically that the Dundon relationship is cited as a factor, suggests he sees something in the franchise\u2019s direction that aligns with whatever he wants to build next.<\/p>\n

The Blazers, for their part, get an NBA Finals-level head coach at a price their unconventional owner can justify. On paper, at least, the fit is cleaner than anything else Portland has identified so far.<\/p>\n

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The post Insider Reveals Jason Kidd\u2019s Potential Next Career Move After Mavs Exit<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Portland Trail Blazers\u2019 coaching search has been defined by one overriding characteristic since new owner Tom Dundon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":742376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3793],"tags":[7,91596,2298,686,149,4057,125,980,3716,32713,166,152,6,1220,472,471,4425,4426,4498,490,15840,39242],"class_list":["post-742375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas-mavericks","tag-basketball","tag-budget-constraint","tag-chauncey-billups","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-dallasmavericks","tag-damian-lillard","tag-deni-avdija","tag-jason-kidd","tag-mark-j-rebilas-imagn","tag-mavericks","tag-minnesota-timberwolves","tag-nba","tag-nba-finals","tag-phoenix-suns","tag-portland-trail-blazers","tag-scoot-henderson","tag-shaedon-sharpe","tag-the-blazers","tag-the-mavericks","tag-tiago-splitter","tag-tom-dundon"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116627099299325861","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=742375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/742376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=742375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=742375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=742375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}