Jason Kidd, Mavs Part Ways with 4 Years Left on HC Contract, Missed Playoffs Twice After Luka Trade

The Dallas Mavericks will have a new head coach in 2026-27.

Dallas announced Tuesday it "mutually agreed to part ways" with Jason Kidd and added that he is "a Mavericks champion, Hall of Famer and coach who helped lead this franchise back to the NBA Finals."

Mavericks executive Matt Riccardi is also leaving the franchise, per NBA insider Jake Fischer.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Kidd expressed interest in being promoted to president of basketball operations after Nico Harrison was fired. However, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont told Kidd he wouldn't be considered for a front office job, MacMahon added.

Additionally, Kidd was "kept out of the loop" during the team's process that resulted in the hiring of New team president Masai Ujiri.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported Kidd still had four years remaining on his contract following extensions in each of the last two offseasons.

Ujiri released a statement on the decision:

"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."

Kidd's future was a major storyline for the Mavericks this offseason, especially after they hired Ujiri. Earlier this month, Ujiri said he planned to examine the franchise "head to toe" and didn't guarantee Kidd would return after speaking to the coach.

Ujiri helped put together a championship team with the Toronto Raptors, and hiring a new head coach will be an early test for the start of his tenure.

The decision to move on from Kidd, who won a championship as a player with the Mavericks during his Hall of Fame career, comes after five seasons largely defined by inconsistency on the way to a 205-205 record.

Dallas missed the playoffs entirely in three of his five seasons, including when it went 26-56 in 2025-26. However, it also reached the 2024 NBA Finals and the 2022 Western Conference Finals.

Much of that tenure can be summarized by the presence of Luka Dončić. He was the team's primary playmaker during each of those two deep playoff runs and appeared to be the franchise cornerstone it would build around for the foreseeable future.

Yet the Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in a shocking move during the 2024-25 campaign, and Kidd's teams missed the two ensuing playoffs.

The cupboard is far from bare for the next head coach, though, as Cooper Flagg looks to be a star in the making. The No. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA draft took home the Rookie of the Year in his first NBA season and looks to be yet another franchise cornerstone the Mavericks can build around for years to come.

Flagg's presence should make the Mavericks an intriguing coaching opening for a number of candidates, as it is not a leap to assume they will be back in Western Conference contention sooner rather than later.