The New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau as head coach despite making the conference finals this year for the first time since 2000.
After the Knicks fired Thibodeau, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that New York was interested in Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who played for the Knicks in 2012-13.
Since Kidd is under contract with the Mavericks, the Knicks have to ask Dallas for permission to speak to the Hall of Fame point guard, who has coached the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Mavericks.
Kidd is 362-339 in the regular season and 31-33 in the playoffs. The Mavericks made the NBA Finals last year but missed the postseason this year after trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd
It doesn't look like Jason Kidd will be leaving Dallas for New York.
© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Knicks are expected to formally request permission from the Mavericks to speak to Kidd soon, but according to Stein, Dallas will likely decline New York's request.
"Dallas, though, can simply refuse to grant the Knicks permission to speak with Kidd once formally asked and I've heard from a few well-placed observers this week who believe that the Mavericks would ultimately do just that," Stein wrote.
Thibodeau, who has coached the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, was hired by the Knicks in 2020. He went 226-174 in the regular season and 24-23 in the postseason and won the 2021 Coach of the Year Award.
New York lost to the Indiana Pacers in this year’s conference finals in six games. Thibodeau, who has won the Coach of the Year Award twice, is owed $30 million by the Knicks.
It will be interesting to see who the Knicks hire as their next head coach. All signs point toward Kidd staying in Dallas to coach Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and Cooper Flagg.
The Mavericks are expected to draft Flagg with the first pick in this year's draft.