Mavericks and Jason Kidd Reach Surprise Contract Extension — What’s Next for the Team?

Jason Kidd isn’t just any coach; he’s the name everyone’s been buzzing about in NBA circles lately. Over the past couple of years, whenever the Lakers or Knicks found themselves hunting for a new head coach, they knocked on Kidd’s door—but Dallas wasn’t having any of it, firmly shutting down those inquiries. Now, the Mavericks have gone all in, securing Kidd with a multi-year contract extension that effectively ties him to the franchise well into the coming era led by young star Cooper Flagg. Think about that—Kidd’s already got a solid track record here, boasting a 55% win rate over four seasons, two playoff appearances, and even an NBA Finals trophy from 2024 hanging in the trophy case. Players clearly want to be coached by Kidd, which explains all the outside interest, but Dallas made it perfectly clear: they aren’t about to let him slip away. This upcoming season is full of intrigue too—with a towering frontline featuring Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II, combined with Kyrie Irving’s uncertain timeline due to injury, Kidd’s backcourt puzzle gets even more complicated. Trust me, the chess match in Dallas this year will be one to watch closely. LEARN MORE

Jason Kidd is an in-demand coach. In the past two years, when the Lakers and Knicks had job openings, they asked for permission to talk to Kidd, but were shot down.

Now the Mavericks have locked Kidd up with a multi-year contract extension, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

This is on top of the extension Kidd received last season, and he reportedly had two years total left on his deal. This likely keeps Kidd under contract through the first few years of the Cooper Flagg era in Dallas.

In four seasons as the Dallas head coach, Kidd has won 55% of his regular-season games and led the team to the playoffs twice, including an NBA Finals run in 2024. He’s a coach players want to play for, which is part of the reason both the Lakers and Knicks checked on his availability, but there is no way the Mavericks were letting him walk out the door.

This season, Kidd coaches an interesting Dallas team with a huge and active starting front line of Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II (with P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford off the bench) — this is a long and athletic roster with quality rim protectors. However, with Kyrie Irving out for the first part of the season (there is no timeline for his return from a torn ACL), Kidd will need to rely on D’Angelo Russell and Klay Thompson in the backcourt, which is not a great defensive unit.