The Dallas Mavericks' offseason has been eventful despite missing the NBA Playoffs last season, as they landed the No. 1 overall pick and the right to select Cooper Flagg, but they are now having to worry about Jason Kidd packing his bags and heading to New York to coach the Knicks.
The Knicks have strong interest in making Kidd their next coach after firing Tom Thibodeau earlier this week, and Kidd is near the top of their list of candidates. The buzz surrounding Kidd leaving the Mavericks has heated up over the last day or so as New York plans to ask Dallas for permission to interview him, but the Mavericks have a way to end all of these rumors altogether.
The Mavericks can decline the Knicks' request to interview him.
Mavericks must slam the door shut on Knicks' Jason Kidd pursuit
Since Kidd is under contract with the Mavs, they don't have to allow the Knicks to speak with Kidd. If Dallas is serious about keeping him as the coach of their team to kick off the Flagg era and for years to come, they should end all of this chatter now by making it clear they don't want him to speak with New York about their head coaching vacancy.
The fact that they haven't done that yet is concerning, as the Houston Rockets made it clear they wouldn't allow Ime Udoka to speak with the Knicks off the bat, and this could be a slight indication that Dallas is considering allowing Kidd to have this conversation with New York's top brass.
The easiest solution to all of this is simply denying the Knicks' request to speak with Kidd, and time will tell if Dallas decides to go in that direction. Losing Kidd right before Flagg's rookie year would be the worst outcome possible, as Flagg is a defensive-minded player who would fit in Kidd's scheme.
Kidd is all about energy and effort, and Flagg would bring all of that and more. He never takes plays off, can guard multiple positions at an elite level, and is an incredible help-side defender. Kidd has seemed excited about the opportunity to coach him during the multiple podcast appearances he has hopped on over the last few weeks, and this could be one of the main things keeping him in Dallas if he doesn't decide to leave for the Knicks.
Flagg also needs stability as he begins his NBA journey, and Dallas losing one of the three coaches that has ever taken them to the NBA Finals right after they land the No. 1 pick would be less than ideal. Kidd's players love playing for him, and if Dallas keeps him, Flagg would be stepping into a great situation on day one.