Dallas Mavericks fans are sighing deeply, knowing that their head coach, Jason Kidd, is here to stay for the future.
What was first a silly rumor actually turned into a genuine concern, with one report saying that Kidd and the New York Knicks had mutual interest between each other in him becoming their next head coach. While there's not as much concern anymore about Kidd's future, if he actually does leave to become the head coach of the Knicks, there would still be a looming Luka Doncic cloud over his head that he may never escape.
Of course, Nico Harrison has been torched by fans and media for his unfathomable move by trading away Luka Doncic, along with criticism for not getting the best offer in return. This left Kidd in the dust to answer a lot of the questions that Harrison should've been answering, as Harrison didn't hold a press conference (outside of the one the day after the Doncic trade) until months later. Even if Kidd were to leave to coach the Knicks, let's just say, he'd still be stuck.
Jason Kidd nearly got trapped with the same mess he hated in Dallas
It looks like Kidd's Doncic PR nightmare would've actually been worse in New York. As The Athletic's James L. Edwards III puts it, he would still be the main face of the team, just like he was in Dallas following the Doncic trade.
"In New York, Kidd would continue to be the spokesperson. President Leon Rose hasn’t fielded questions from independent media in several years," Edwards III said.
This is exactly what Kidd had to go through in Dallas, as it seemed pretty clear that he wanted to steer away from any Doncic questions after the trade. 12 hours after Doncic was traded, Kidd looked like he just wanted to get in and out of the press conference, as it was pretty clear that he was only concerned about the upcoming game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It seems like Kidd dodged a near disaster, and he probably wanted to avoid that same PR nightmare again, like when he had to skip a press conference after a loss to regroup after he saw another player go down from injury. Kidd hated having to be the team's spokesperson after the Doncic trade, and he would have had to continue in that role if he were to leave for the Knicks.
With New York, Kidd doesn't really have much of a bench to turn to, and with concerns already of Karl-Anthony Towns in the locker room, Kidd would've inherited a mess. He's in a much better spot with the Mavs with Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, and Kyrie Irving. Irving is reportedly aiming to come back at the beginning of 2026 at some point, hopefully making for the next NBA's big three.
After the Knicks have been turned down by multiple teams in their head coaching search, it seems like they have a lot to figure out. It looks like Jason Kidd dodged a bullet more and more every day, and in that sense, the Mavs, too, as he is here to stay.