Few figures have attracted as much buzz for the vacant New York Knicks head coaching job as Jason Kidd has in the week since the team fired Tom Thibodeau, their lead coach of five years.
Not only is Kidd already a respected coach with the Dallas Mavericks, who represented the Western Conference in the 2024 NBA Finals, but he also has preexisting ties to New York as a former Knick himself and the one-time coach of Jalen Brunson, the current star of the Knicks show.
He's still under contract with Dallas, and though he'd need permission to interview with the Knicks, there's said to be "mutual interest" between the parties. As desirable as it sounds to take the reins for an Eastern Conference Finalist, one of the loudest voices in sports media casts doubt on Kidd departing for a fresh start.
"From a personnel standpoint, there's no reason for him to leave Dallas," ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said on Tuesday morning edition of "First Take."
Despite some of the chaos that the Mavericks have emitted in the last year, including their shocking trade to deal franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and how that may ahve influence Kidd's relationship with Dallas management, Smith sees no reason for him to leave the interesting situation he already has at his fingertips.
Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving remain as two foundation-worthy All-Stars who've grown as trustworthy faces of the team, and their winning the #1 pick in this upcoming NBA Draft against all odds only solidifies the wide range of possibilities Kidd has to work with if he were to choose to stay home.
