Jason Kidd was immediately mentioned as a candidate to become the next head coach of the New York Knicks after Tom Thibodeau was fired, and it sounds like the Hall of Fame point guard might have interest in the job.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on “SportsCenter” Monday that there is “mutual intrigue” between the Knicks and Kidd. The reporter also laid out the options that the Dallas Mavericks have if New York does make a run at their coach.
“They have three options as I see it,” Windhorst said. “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 could 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. Or, they could negotiate a trade.
“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.”
There’s mutual interest between Jason Kidd and the Knicks, per @WindhorstESPN
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 9, 2025
(h/t @WindhorstESPN )
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Marc Stein reported last week that the Knicks are planning to formally request permission to speak with Kidd. The reality is if Kidd were to decide he would rather coach in New York, there would be no point in the Mavericks trying to force him to remain in Dallas. In that scenario, a trade would probably make the most sense.
Kidd played for the Knicks for a brief period during his Hall of Fame career in 2012-13. He is also close with veteran NBA trainer Casey Smith, who was controversially phased out by the Mavericks a while back. Smith has since taken a job with the Knicks.
The 52-year-old Kidd just completed his fourth season as the head coach in Dallas. He led the team to the NBA Finals a year ago, but things changed dramatically for the Mavericks after Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a stunning move. Kidd suggested publicly that he had no say in the deal.
The Knicks have been linked to multiple coaches who are under contract with other teams, so their search has the potential to create some tension around the NBA.
