Dallas Mavericks Sign Jason Kidd To Contract Extension

After an illustrious 19-year playing career, Jason Kidd made the transition to coaching. After some hiccups in his first few years as a mentor, Kidd has now proven himself to be capable of driving the Dallas Mavericks to the latter stages of the playoffs.

Now, the Mavs organization has rewarded Kidd’s coaching acumen with a multi-year contract extension. This means that Kidd will be staying in Dallas for the foreseeable future.

Kidd’s relationship with the Mavs is a unique bond that was forged when he was taken second overall by Dallas in the 1994 NBA Draft. The former California standout ended up winning co-Rookie of the Year honors along with Grant Hill. However, after just two seasons, Kidd was traded by the Mavs to the Phoenix Suns.

Kidd went on to rack up individual accolades with the Suns and the New Jersey Nets, but fate would bring him back to Texas when he was traded to the Mavs in 2008. At that point, the All-Star guard was at the tail end of his career. But, whereas Kidd’s first stint with the Mavs ended abruptly, his second time in Dallas came to a crescendo when he won his lone NBA championship in 2011.

Right after Kidd announced his retirement in 2013, he began his head coaching career with the Brooklyn Nets. After stops in Milwaukee and Los Angeles, Kidd was hired as the head coach of the Mavericks in 2021, ten years after he won a title there alongside Dirk Nowitzki.

In four years with the Mavs, Kidd has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He has led the team to two conference finals, going all the way to the NBA Finals in 2024. There have been two seasons, however, when the Mavs did not make the playoffs at all.

Then, there was the entire Luka Doncic debacle that rocked the Mavericks roster to its core. Though the loss of the young franchise player was certainly difficult to deal with, Kidd has a strong ensemble heading into the 2025–26 season. This lineup includes Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and this year’s top draft pick Cooper Flagg.

It can be argued that Kidd hasn’t even reached the peak of his coaching career yet, and as such, it will be interesting to see what he can do with his current Mavs squad. With a number of years ahead of him in his Mavs contract, Kidd can take some time to fine-tune his roster into a championship contender.