DHJ Quick Take: Kidd’s Role & Departure
- Trade Alignment: Sources indicate that former Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd had a level of support and involvement in the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, a detail recently echoed by Mark Cuban.
- Management Overhaul: The mega-trade was originally spearheaded by general manager Nico Harrison, who was fired earlier this season; the franchise recently brought in Masai Ujiri as the new team president.
- Mutual Parting: Following Ujiri’s arrival and subsequent evaluations, the Mavericks and Kidd mutually agreed to part ways, bringing an end to his five-year tenure on the Dallas bench.
Dallas Mavericks sources believe Jason Kidd had a level of support in the blockbuster Luka Dončić trade last season, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Mavericks traded Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The trade was spearheaded by Nico Harrison, who was fired earlier this season.
In April, Mark Cuban said on the Intersections podcast that Kidd played a role in the Dončić trade. The Mavericks, who hired Masai Ujiri as their new president, and Kidd mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday.
The Mavericks have missed the playoffs two years in a row since trading Dončić. They got lucky by winning the 2025 Draft Lottery and landing Cooper Flagg, who won the Rookie of the Year Award this season and looks like a future superstar.
Dončić, who guided the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024, appeared in 422 regular-season games and 50 playoff games with Dallas. He averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game in the regular season and 30.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game in the playoffs while making five All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams.
Kidd was named head coach of the Mavericks in June 2021. The Hall of Famer went 205-205 in the regular season and 22-18 in the playoffs.
“Jason has had a meaningful impact on the Dallas Mavericks, both as a Hall of Fame player and as the head coach who helped lead this franchise back to the NBA Finals,” Ujiri said. “We are thankful for Jason’s leadership, his professionalism and his commitment to the team. In my short time here, I’ve developed an enormous amount of respect for what he has built. He will always be an important part of the Mavericks family.
“As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team. We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention. We will conduct a thorough, disciplined search for our next head coach and continue to evaluate our entire basketball operations staff to ensure we compete at the standard Mavs fans expect and deserve.”
Dončić led the NBA in points per game and total points in his first full season with the Lakers. However, he missed the 2026 playoffs because of the left hamstring injury he suffered on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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