Jason Kidd is officially out in Dallas, but he may already have a potential pivot in place.
The shocking news broke on Tuesday that Kidd has mutually agreed to part ways with the Dallas Mavericks. The move ends Kidd’s tenure in Dallas after five seasons as their head coach.
Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported in the wake of the news that Kidd could potentially be an option for the Orlando Magic. Stein notes that the Magic had interest in Kidd as a head coach candidate back in 2021 and that they are known to be seeking a coach with experience.
The Basketball Hall of Famer Kidd, 53, immediately becomes one of the top available options on the head coaching market. Though he was just 205-205 (.500) overall as the coach of the Mavs, Kidd did lead the team to two Western Conference Finals berths and a Finals appearance in 2024. Kidd was also an NBA champion assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and has 10 total seasons of head coaching experience under his belt (after previously coaching both the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks).
As for the Magic, they just made the decision earlier this month to fire head coach Jamahl Mosley (who has already landed a lead job with another NBA team). Mosley was in charge of Orlando for five total seasons, going 189-221 (.461) with three playoff appearances and two division titles but zero playoff series wins to show for it.
The 10-time NBA All-Star point guard Kidd has plenty of experience when it comes to coaching stars (including Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving). That combined with his playoff success could make him an ideal candidate for the Magic, who have struggled to find the right coach for their All-Star forward Paolo Banchero.
