Mavs Reportedly Believe Jason Kidd Will Return as HC Next Season amid Knicks Rumors

If Jason Kidd ultimately leaves the Dallas Mavericks for the New York Knicks, amid reported interest emanating from the Big Apple, it will come as a surprise to the folks in Texas.

Christian Clark and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Tuesday: "According to team and league sources, the Mavericks continue to privately insist to key stakeholders that Kidd won't be going anywhere. According to a team source, the Knicks had yet to request permission to speak with Kidd as of Tuesday afternoon. The widely held belief is that Kidd, ultimately, is hoping to parlay the Knicks’ interest into a lucrative contract extension."

The 52-year-old has two seasons remaining on his contract, so even if he wanted to join the Knicks, the Mavericks would have to agree to trade him to New York.

What might cause Kidd to seek a departure in favor of coaching at Madison Square Garden?

The disparity in talent between the teams isn't necessarily all that great. While the Knicks feature Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby—a group that reached the Eastern Conference Finals this season—the Mavs have Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving (once he recovers from a torn ACL) and soon enough will use the top overall pick to select the extremely talented Cooper Flagg.

Perhaps the Mavs are toying with the idea of blowing things up and rebuilding under Flagg. That might be enough to propel Kidd toward a contender. But there's been no indication, to this point, that Dallas is considering such a scenario.

So, if Kidd does push for a change, other factors could be in play. James Edwards III of The Athletic noted he "didn't always enjoy being Dallas' spokesperson in the aftermath of the franchise trading Luka Dončić, per league sources."

Tim Cato of DLLS also reported in April that Kidd "resented the front office's midseason Dončić trade, multiple team and league sources say, even if he shared some of Harrison's frustrations with Doncic that led to his trade of him."

For now, it appears Kidd's future remains in Dallas. But it would be a fascinating storyline this summer if he attempts to steer himself to New York.