Jason Kidd Denies Rumors That He Almost Left Mavericks for Knicks

This Summer, there was some fear that the Dallas Mavericks could lose their head coach. After trading away Luka Doncic, it would make sense that Jason Kidd was no longer interested in coaching the team. On top of that, the New York Knicks, another one of Kidd’s former teams, showed interest in bringing Kidd in to be their new head coach. 

In the end, the Mavericks have Kidd under contract and denied the Knicks permission to interview Kidd about their coaching vacancy. Some think that if they had, the Kidd would have left for the Knicks. 

We may never know, but Kidd recently denied the idea that he ever considered leaving the Mavericks. 

“I was never thinking about leaving Dallas. I love working for (Mavericks governor) Patrick (Dumont). Understanding that we have a lot of work here to be done. I’m all in to be able to do that. I was drafted here. I have won here. I love the city. I love the fans. It never crossed my mind to leave Dallas.”

This is a good sign for the Mavericks. One thing that many NBA teams don’t fully grasp is that coaching continuity is almost as important as player continuity. Having a coach around for years to help define a culture and build a program is what the best teams in the league do, and it pays off. 

For Kidd, when he joined the Mavericks, he had a young Luka Doncic as his weapon to build a future contender with. Although Luka is now gone, Kidd has a new potential superstar to help mold. Cooper Flagg could be the reason Kidd wants to stay in Dallas a while longer.