The New York Knicks reportedly have Jason Kidd at or near the top of their list of head coach candidates, but it now appears unlikely that they will be able to hire the Hall of Fame former point guard.
Kidd is currently the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks formally requested permission to interview Kidd on Wednesday morning and received a “firm rejection” from the Mavericks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The New York Knicks requested permission Wednesday morning to speak to Mavericks coach Jason Kidd – and Dallas gave a firm rejection, sources tell ESPN. Knicks have been denied now on Kidd, Minnesota’s Chris Finch and Houston’s Ime Udoka.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2025
The Knicks on Tuesday were denied permission to interview two other coaches who are currently under contract with other teams — Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka.
After they stunned the NBA by firing Tom Thibodeau last week, the Knicks seem to be prioritizing experience in their head coach search. They may now have to focus on a candidate who is not currently the head coach of another NBA team.
Can the Knicks still land Kidd?
Now that the Mavericks have stonewalled the Knicks, the path to Kidd winding up as the head coach in New York just got a lot more complicated. Kidd could still push for it, however.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Monday that there is mutual interest between the Knicks and Kidd. It is possible Kidd is simply using New York’s pursuit of him as leverage to get more money from the Mavericks. But if the 52-year-old wants out of Dallas, there are ways he can try to make that happen.
Though Kidd is contractually committed to the Mavericks, would they really force him to stay if he wanted out? In that scenario, Dallas would probably be better off trying to work out a trade with the Knicks.
As Windhorst noted, head coaches have been traded in the past. Kidd was one of them. Following the 2013-14 season, Kidd was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a pair of second-round picks.
Kidd has ties to the Knicks
Kidd has connections to the Knicks, who are coming off an impressive season in which they reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Kidd coached Jalen Brunson for a season in Dallas, and Brunson parlayed his success with the Mavericks into a lucrative contract with New York.
Kidd is also close with veteran NBA trainer Casey Smith, who was controversially phased out by the Mavericks a while back. Smith has since taken a job with the Knicks.
In addition, Kidd played for the Knicks in his final NBA season in 2012-13.
It is possible the Knicks will pivot to other candidates now that the Mavericks have denied their request, but Kidd has the ability to make the situation interesting.
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