Jason Kidd, Mavericks Agree to Multiyear Contract Extension Amid Lakers HC Rumors

Jason Kidd will remain as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks for the foreseeable future.

The team announced Monday it signed Kidd to a multiyear extension. The 2024-25 season was set to be the final year of Kidd's contract.

"We are excited to have Coach Kidd continue to lead our team throughout the coming years with this well-earned contract extension," team governor Patrick Dumont said. "Kidd led our team to two playoff appearances in three seasons, and we are looking forward to his leadership in continuing to build and grow this already great franchise."

The decision comes with the Mavs awaiting the start of their Western Conference semifinal series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. They finished 50-32 in the regular season, a 12-win improvement from 2022-23.

Kidd's extension is both a reward for his work this year and a way to fend off any interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, who were rumored to be interested in his services.

Dallas acquired Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets last season in a blockbuster trade to add another superstar next to Luka Dončić, but things initially didn't work out the way the team hoped. The Mavs failed to make the playoffs in 2023, but they bounced back in a big way this year.

Dončić averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists while Irving averaged 25.6 points and shot 49.7 percent from the field. The Mavs improved the talent around their star duo by acquiring swingman P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, and Tim Hardaway Jr. performed admirably as the team's primary sixth man. Still, it remains to be seen if it will be enough to achieve the playoff success that has eluded Dallas since its only NBA title in 2011.

It was just two years ago that Dallas advanced to the 2022 Western Conference Finals in an impressive playoff run that inspired confidence in the team's future. However, the Mavs lost a key member of that squad in Jalen Brunson, who signed with the New York Knicks as a free agent that offseason.

Dončić is unquestionably the Mavs' franchise player, but his frustration grew to a point where there was reportedly fear within the organization that he could request a trade as soon as this summer, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Now, Kidd will be tasked with ensuring Dončić continues to have fun both during this postseason and when he embarks on his seventh season in the NBA.

Dallas has a window for title contention as long as their superstar point guard is on the roster, but the franchise will need to continue putting the right pieces around him in order to be successful going forward.