Jason Kidd, Mavericks Part Ways: Where Masai Ujiri, Dallas Could Turn for Next Coaching Hire

The coach is out less than two years after leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals in 2024.

Whomever is tasked with replacing outgoing Mavericks coach Jason Kidd will coach 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Mavericks barely resemble the franchise that played in the NBA Finals less than two years ago.

Face of the franchise Luka Dončić was traded to the Lakers ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, and the star tasked with replacing him and elevating the team’s defense, Anthony Davis, barely played in Dallas—and was shipped off in another deal to the Wizards this season. The architect of the Dončić trade, Nico Harrison, lucked into the No. 1 pick, but didn’t get to see Cooper Flagg flourish as the next Mavs great, as he was fired in November, months after his deeply unpopular move. And now the franchise has parted ways with coach Jason Kidd, the latest seismic move for a franchise that has been completely overhauled in 2025–26.

To replace Harrison, Dallas tabbed former Raptors and Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri as its new president of basketball operations—immediately raising questions about Kidd’s future with the Mavs. As reported by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix earlier this month, Kidd was “blindsided” by the Ujiri hire, as he was also angling for a front office role, though he “had come to accept he would continue on as head coach.”

Ujiri, however, never publicly committed to Kidd despite a contract that will pay Kidd $40 million over the next four years. Now, team owner Patrick Dumont is prepared to eat that cost and find a new coach to guide the Flagg-led Mavericks forward.

“Jason has had a meaningful impact on the Dallas Mavericks, both as a Hall of Fame palyer and as the head coach who helped lead this franchise back to the NBA Finals,” Ujiri said in a statement Tuesday. “ ... As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team.”

That direction now completes a full break with both the Dončić era and Ujiri’s predecessor who brought it all crumbling down.

What Mavericks need in their next coaching hire

Cooper Flagg is the face of the Mavericks franchise, while Kyrie Irving is slated to re-join the lineup next year. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Kidd never signed up for a rebuild in Dallas. When he was hired to replace Rick Carlisle after the 2020–21 season, Dončić was already a two-time first-team All-NBA selection. The Mavericks were 42–30 in the COVID-19-shortened season, but flamed out in a seven-game first-round series against the Clippers.

Still, in some ways, the next Mavericks coach is tasked with doing a similar job that Kidd took over. Despite the rough 26–56 record in 2025–26, Dallas is far from a teardown, with Flagg quickly living up to the billing as the former No. 1 pick. He led the team with 21.0 points per game, adding 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. His game still has plenty of room to grow, especially as a shooter, but he looks like a future All-NBA player.

The Mavericks did not have Kyrie Irving this season, but he should be fully recovered in time for next year, and makes for an intriguing pair with Flagg. If Dallas decides he is not on their timeline, he could be moveable for some decent assets; Irving will make over $39 million next year and has a player option for 2027–28 worth $42 million that could entice a contender.

The Mavericks have the No. 9 pick in next month’s NBA draft, and could add a solid piece in a deep draft.

Whichever direciton Ujiri takes, developing the team around Flagg is the No. 1 objective for his next coach. If he sees the Flagg-Irving pairing as the viable centerpiece for a contender in the next two years, we could see an experienced voice step in, as Kidd did in 2021.

Coaches to watch as Mavericks open search

Sean Sweeney, Spurs assistant

Sean Sweeney joins the Spurs staff in 2025 after a stint with the Mavericks. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Perhaps the hottest name from the NBA assistant ranks is front and center during this week’s conference finals. Sweeney, associate head coach of the Spurs, has already gotten plenty of attention with franchises like the Bulls, Magic and Trail Blazers—but he has strong roots with Dallas.

Sweeney was a Kidd assistant from 2021 to ‘25 before joining Mitch Johnson’s staff in San Antonio, where he’s seen firsthand how the franchise has brought along Victor Wembanyama and built a strong foundation around him.

Before coaching for the Mavericks, he was an assistant to Pistons coach Dwane Casey, who worked under Ujiri with the Raptors.

Frank Vogel, Mavericks assistant

If Dallas opts for some continuity along with a coach who has championship experience, former Lakers coach Vogel was a top Kidd assistant. The former coach of the Pacers, Magic, Lakers and Suns, he has a 480–422 career record with the 2020 NBA title and a pair of runs to the conference finals with Indiana.

Tiago Splitter, Trail Blazers interim head coach

Tiago Splitter impressed as interim coach for nearly the entire season, leading the Trail Blazers to the playoffs. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Splitter brought the Trail Blazers to the playoffs despite some serious adveristy, as he stepped into the head coaching role following the arrest of coach Chauncey Billups just days into the 2025–26 season. It feels obvious for Portland to remove the interim tag from Splitter and make him the full-time head coach, but new owner Tom Dundon is reportedly hoping to hire a coach well below the going rate in the NBA—as low as $1.5 million, on par with some mid-major college basketball coaches.

As signaled by Kidd’s dismissal, price is not a major factor for Dumont and the Mavericks’ leadership.

Billy Donovan, former Bulls coach

Donovan stepped away from the Bulls after another middling season for the franchise. Some luster has come off of the two-time national champion at Florida, as he’s struggled to deliver similar results in the pros.

He is 469–413 since taking over the Thunder in 2015–16. That first year, he brought Oklahoma City to the conference finals. He hasn’t made it out of the first round since.

Dusty May, Michigan coach; Todd Golden, Florida coach

Comments made after he led Michigan to the national title has led to speculation that Dusty May could jump to the NBA. | David Rodriguez Muñoz / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dallas could make a real splash by poaching one of the top college coaches. Both May and Golden have had their names floated for NBA jobs in recent months. The Michigan coach has yet to sign an extension since winning the national championship last month, and to say that his reaction to winning it all with the Wolverines was muted would be underselling it. Michigan has been actively rebuilding its roster since winning it all, but May doesn’t seem particularly long for college basketball.

Golden, meanwhile, brought Florida a title in 2024 and has been on the NBA radar since. He was closely connected to the Warriors earlier this offseason, until Golden State opted to bring back Steve Kerr, and in response said he was “definitely planning on coaching the Gators,” a statement that left plenty of space for a jump to the pros.

May and Golden hadn’t been heavily discussed for the current array of openings, but the chance to coach Flagg as he just starts to approach his prime has to be enticing for anyone.

Masai Ujiri’s surprisingly quiet track record of coaching hires

Masai Ujiri lead the front offices of the Nuggets and Raptors and now takes over basketball operations for the Mavericks. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The split with Kidd signals a different track than Ujiri usually takes when joining a franchise.

When he took over basketball operations with the Nuggets in 2010, he kept veteran coach George Karl on the sideline, Denver went 148–85 but never made it out of the first round. It wasn’t until after Ujiri left for the Raptors that the Nuggets fired Karl.

Similarly, Ujiri retained Casey in Toronto. Casey had missed the playoffs in his first two seasons when Ujiri arrived, but went 48–34 in 2013–14, reaching the postseason for the first of five consecutive seasons, including a run to the Eastern Conference finals in ‘15–16. After back-to-back second-round exits, Ujiri fired Casey in ‘18, the same year he was named NBA Coach of the Year. The gambit worked.

Ujiri promoted assistant Nick Nurse to the head job, traded for Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard, and won the NBA title in the first and only year with Leonard in Toronto.

Amazingly, despite Ujiri running teams for 12 seasons and winning an NBA title along the way, Nurse was his only coaching hire—and one made within the franchise. Barring the promotion of Vogel, this is the first true search that Ujiri will lead up as an NBA executive, leaving many open questions about what direction he’ll take.

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