The Knicks took a huge step in their pursuit of Jason Kidd.
The New York Knicks have formally requested permission to speak with Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd as they begin the process of replacing Tom Thibodeau, according to multiple reports.
Marc Stein first broke the news on his Substack newsletter. Stein reported that the Knicks are “indeed preparing to ask Dallas for formal permission to speak to Kidd.”
“The New York Knicks are expected to formally request permission to speak to the Dallas Mavericks’ Jason Kidd about their coaching vacancy in coming days, league sources say.” — Marc Stein
That report was followed by confirmation from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps.
“The Knicks have yet to request permission to speak to Kidd, who has two years remaining on the contract extension he signed during the Mavs’ 2024 run to the NBA Finals.
“Dallas general manager Nico Harrison and governor Patrick Dumont have not yet discussed whether the franchise would be willing to grant permission for Kidd to speak to the Knicks.” — ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim Bontemps
This development comes shortly after New York’s playoff run ended in a Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and the subsequent firing of Tom Thibodeau.
Despite the team reaching its first conference final in over two decades under Thibodeau and making the playoffs three consecutive years, the Knicks opted to part ways with him after five seasons.
Kidd has emerged as the frontrunner for the Knicks’ opening, at least publicly following this leak, and it’s believed that his shared past with Jalen Brunson might have something to do with it.
A Hall of Fame point guard, Kidd finished his playing career in New York during the 2012–13 season, starting 48 games for the last Knicks team to win 50 games before Thibodeau’s tenure.
Kidd immediately transitioned into coaching following his retirement, taking over the Brooklyn Nets the following season. Since then, he has coached the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks.
The now-veteran head coach owns a 362–339 career regular-season record and is 31–33 in the playoffs. He led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024 before signing a two-year contract extension last summer that kicks in for the 2024–25 season. Despite still being under contract, Dallas is reportedly open, albeit still considering if they’d do so, to allowing Kidd to explore other opportunities, including talking to the Knicks brass and potentially joining the NYC-based franchise.
Kidd’s connection to Brunson, who played for him in Dallas during the 2021-22 season, could be one of the reasons behind the Knicks’ interest in hiring the point guard to man the MSG sideline.
In an interview a few years ago, Brunson recalled their first meeting after Kidd took over in Dallas.
“The first thing he told me when he became head coach, he says, ‘What do you want to achieve?’ And I told him I wanted to just contribute as best I can, yada yada yada,” Brunson said. “He said, ‘No, we gotta get you paid.’”
During that season, Brunson posted then-career highs in points (16.3), assists (4.8), and rebounds (3.9) per game, setting the stage for his free-agent move to New York.
Kidd is also widely credited with helping develop Giannis Antetokounmpo during his early years with the Milwaukee Bucks, earning the trust of the future two-time MVP and bringing another appealing connection to the table with Giannis now seeming disgruntled and looking for a way out of Milwaukee.
Kidd’s track record in developing talent and building relationships with players is reportedly of interest to the Knicks front office because of the possibilities it might bring in the short-term future with a solid core already in tow and in the middle of a contending window.
For what it’s worth, New York already got in touch with Kidd previously, interviewing the coach during the Knicks’ 2020 coaching search, ultimately finishing as a finalist before withdrawing to remain with the Lakers in an assistant coach position under honcho Frank Vogel.
Thibodeau was hired instead, and now, five years later, New York appears ready to hire Kidd once and for all, assuming all parties can find agreements and common ground.
For that to happen, the Mavericks would first need to allow Kidd to talk to the Knicks. If the coach convinces New York he’s the right man for the position, then Dallas would either need to A) release him or 2) agree with New York on a trade for the coach to swap franchises.
Previous head coach trades have been built around draft compensation, such as when the Clippers acquired Doc Rivers from the Celtics for an unprotected first-round pick, or when Milwaukee sent second-rounders to Brooklyn to hire the very own Kidd in 2014.
While the Knicks are limited in tradable first-round picks after last year’s deal for Mikal Bridges, they still control Washington’s top-eight-protected 2026 pick (likely to convert to two seconds), eight additional second-rounders, and multiple future first-round swap rights.