It’s been a frantic few days in the NBA for many teams not taking part in the playoffs, especially for the Dallas Mavericks.
After the Mavericks blew a 2-0 and 3-2 lead in the first round against the L.A. Clippers, everything has gone south in the organization.
General manager Donnie Nelson, who spent 24 years with the team, left his position. Head coach Rick Carlisle parted ways, too, after coaching the team for 13 seasons.
The franchise is in a perilous state, especially considering the fact that Luka Doncic has a looming supermax deal awaiting his signature.
But as the team attempts to organize a new front office, a familiar name came up in discussions, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN:
Sources: Former Mavs PG Jason Kidd was briefly discussed as a coaching candidate during this meeting. Mark Cuban made it clear that the first priority is the search for a new GM, who will then lead the coaching search. https://t.co/XtxIpWyJK7
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 18, 2021
Jason Kidd, currently an assistant head coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, has deep ties with Dallas.
Dallas selected Kidd with the second overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and Kidd also played for the Mavericks from 2007 to 2012 in his second stint with the organization.
For the Mavericks to hire someone that’s familiar with the franchise would be plausible, but controlling owner Mark Cuban hired a consulting firm to find a new GM first before a decision on a head coach is made.
Kidd’s name has appeared as a candidate across many openings around the league.
The Boston Celtics reportedly have him as a candidate. The Orlando Magic received permission to interview him, and Kidd could be in the mix for the New Orleans Pelicans’ vacancy.
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard also publicly vouched for Kidd, though Kidd withdrew his name from Portland’s consideration.
[pickup_prop id=”8367″]
[vertical-gallery id=39915]
[mm-video type=video id=01f7pfvr7sn6qm46npwn playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f7pfvr7sn6qm46npwn/01f7pfvr7sn6qm46npwn-4389b09872f03b04f8e8930e81d12997.jpg]