DALLAS (AP) — The president of the Dallas Mavericks acknowledged Wednesday that dismissing Jason Kidd from his head coaching position was a challenging choice that he made independently after five years with the franchise.
Following Tuesday’s announcement of Kidd’s exit, the team president explained Wednesday that he believed the franchise required a fresh beginning.
“What he’s done for this organization we truly respect, so this was a very, very tough decision,” the president stated.
“I have to be accountable with a decision like this,” he continued. “I also have to be very active in how I look at the organization from top to bottom.”
The president, who assumed his role as team president and governor fourteen days earlier, clarified that the coaching change was unrelated to the February 2025 trade involving Luka Doncic or anyone associated with that transaction.
During his May 5 introductory press conference, the president avoided committing to Kidd’s future, indicating he would speak with the coach while assessing the team comprehensively.
Tuesday evening’s official announcement from the Mavericks characterized Kidd’s departure as a joint decision between both parties.
Under Kidd’s leadership alongside Doncic, Dallas achieved two significant postseason campaigns, advancing to the NBA Finals in 2024 and suffering a Western Conference finals defeat to Golden State two seasons prior.
During the 2024-25 campaign, the Mavericks dealt Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, receiving Anthony Davis as the primary asset in an exchange that proved disastrous for Dallas. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs that year and again in 2025-26, when Davis was subsequently traded.
The former Hall of Fame point guard, who helped deliver the franchise’s sole championship as a player in 2011, concluded his coaching tenure with an even regular-season record of 205-205 wins and losses.
