Former Mavs J.J. Barea on Joining Jason Kidd's Coaching Staff: ‘They Know I’m Interested’
Though the NBA Draft and free agency have yet to kick off this offseason, the Dallas Mavericks have already been busy in their search for a new assistant coach on Jason Kidd's staff.
Following the end of their season, multiple reports stated that Mavs lead assistant Greg St. Jean wouldn't be back with the team in 2023-24. St. Jean spent two years in Dallas, following Kidd from their time together working with the Los Angeles Lakers.
As for St. Jean's replacement, NBA Insider Marc Stein reported that Dallas was seeking an experienced coach for Kidd's staff, which included some potential candidates in James Borrego and Jeff Hornacek. Other veteran coaches, like Frank Vogel, who Kidd coached with in Los Angeles, and Terry Stotts, who was a member of Rick Carlisle's staff during Dallas' championship run, were also on the open market and seen as options.
Well, as of Saturday, three of those four veteran coaches have found other homes. Vogel was hired as the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns on Friday, Borrego joined the New Orleans Pelicans as their associate head coach, and Stotts joined the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant on Saturday.
But, there's one name missing here, who has openly put his name in the ring to join Dallas' coaching staff: former Mavs champion and fan favorite J.J. Barea.
“Everybody that knows me know that my first option will always be with the Mavs,” Barea told Mavs.com in May. “I would love to be with the Mavs."
Though Barea doesn't have the experience that Kidd was looking for to join his staff, he does have the familiarity with a lot of this roster, including having a close relationship with former teammate Luka Doncic. Like Mavs assistant Jared Dudley, Barea would be able to relate to the players and speak their language as someone who is fresh off competing on the floor, which is something the former Maverick did as a leader in his final years in the league.
“I’ve got an agent now — a coaching agent – and I’ve had conversations with the Mavs,” Barea said. “The Mavs know I’m interested in coaching, and now the entire NBA knows, so I just started the conversations.
It's likely that the Mavericks continue their search for a veteran coach to sit on the front of the bench, but if all else fails, Barea will be waiting for that phone call.
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