After the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau, they are on the lookout for his replacement. One of their reported targets is Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.
He might not be a pipe dream for the Knicks, as Kidd may also be interested. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst confirmed as such, but the question is whether the Mavericks would be willing to play ball on letting Kidd go to New York.
Jason Kidd-Knicks Interest is Mutual, But There’s a Caveat
On ESPN’s SportsCenter, Windhorst confirmed that Kidd also likes the Knicks, but to even make something like that happen, the Mavericks would have to sign off on it.
“The way I would describe this is there’s mutual intrigue on both sides,” Windhorst said. And also, I know there’s this whole thing about asking for permission. You don’t ask for permission to hire another team’s coach. When you ask, you’re going to hire them. So essentially, when the Knicks express interest, the ball will be in the Mavericks’ court.”
Windhorst then delved into the options at the Mavericks’ behest if Kidd is serious about joining the Knicks.
“They have three options, as I see it. One, they could just say, ‘No, thank you very much. Jason, we’ll see you in the fall. Look forward to the season. Look forward to Cooper Flagg.’ They can try to make Jason Kidd have zero interest in the Knicks, possibly with a new contract. They did just give him an extension last year.”
The Mavericks had a pretty turbulent season, primarily caused by their agreeing to one of the most hated trades in NBA history. That can change with Flagg expected to be on the team next season. Windhorst also revealed one option that has happened in the past. In fact, it’s even happened with Kidd himself.
“Or they can negotiate a trade. And we have seen a handful of trades of coaches over the last 15-18 years, including Jason Kidd being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second-round picks 11 years ago. So it’s not like Jason Kidd hasn’t been in this situation before.”
There’s mutual interest between Jason Kidd and the Knicks, per @WindhorstESPN
(h/t @WindhorstESPN )
pic.twitter.com/o8M1XmVtbj— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 9, 2025
Kidd played with the Knicks during his last NBA season (2012-13). He is also a Mavericks alum, having played for the team from 1994 to 1996, then again from 2008 to 2012. While Kidd isn’t necessarily considered one of the NBA’s best coaches, like Erik Spoelstra or Gregg Popovich, he has coached the Mavericks to one of their three NBA Finals appearances.
That would explain why the Knicks would want him and why the Mavericks might not be so keen on getting rid of him.