Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
By Joel Reyes
The Dallas Mavericks have parted ways with head coach Jason Kidd after five seasons. New Mavs president Masai Ujiri decided to make the coaching change despite Kidd still having four years and more than $40 million remaining on his contract.
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, who gave Kidd a contract extension during Dallas' NBA Finals run in 2024 and also before last season, gave Ujiri full authorization to determine the head coach's future with the franchise.
Ujiri released a statement, saying: "As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team. We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention."
"We will conduct a thorough, disciplined search for our next head coach and continue to evaluate our entire basketball operations staff to ensure we compete at the standard Mavs fans expect and deserve," Ujiri added.
Kidd had a 205-205 record during his five-year tenure as head coach of the Mavs. Dallas went 22-18 in the postseason under Kidd, reaching the 2022 Western Conference finals and advancing to the 2024 NBA Finals.