The New York Knicks are conducting active due diligence on Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd among other head coaching candidates in their search to replace Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks have yet to request permission to speak to Kidd, who has two years remaining on the contract extension he signed during the Mavs’ 2024 run to the NBA Finals.
Sources say that Dallas general manager Nico Harrison and governor Patrick Dumont have not yet talked about whether they would allow Kidd to speak with the Knicks.
The teams could potentially arrange a trade that would let the Knicks hire Kidd. However, New York has already used many of its future draft picks by giving away five first-round selections to the Brooklyn Nets last summer when they traded for forward Mikal Bridges.
Currently, New York holds a top-eight-protected pick from the Washington Wizards in 2026 and has eight second-round picks, including the 50th pick in June’s draft. The Knicks can also provide first-round swap rights for the years 2026, 2030, 2031, and 2032.
Kidd was among those who interviewed for the Knicks coaching position in 2020 before it went to Thibodeau.
The Knicks decided to part ways with Thibodeau, who is the fourth-winningest coach in franchise history and their most successful one this century, after they were eliminated by the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.
Thibodeau guided the Knicks to achieve two consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since the mid-1990s. He also managed the team’s surprising victory over the defending champion Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.
However, he relied a lot on a starting five that didn’t perform as well in the second half of the regular season and was outscored during the playoffs.
His winning percentage of .579 in the regular season is the highest ever in league history (for those who have played at least 300 games) among coaches who have never made it to the NBA Finals.
Kidd, who ended his Hall of Fame playing career with the Knicks in 2013, was the head coach for both the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks before taking over as the coach for the Mavericks. During Kidd’s four seasons in charge, Dallas has achieved a win percentage of 54.6% (179-149).
Last year, Kidd guided the Mavericks to the Finals. However, since then, Dallas traded their star player Luka Doncic. Harrison, an executive for the Mavs, admitted that he did not discuss this major trade with Kidd before finalizing the deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
