Jason Kidd's Top NBA Landing Spots After Mavs Exit Amid Bulls, Magic, Blazers HC Openings

Jason Kidd is out as the Dallas Mavericks' head coach after five seasons.

The team announced Tuesday that it has mutually agreed to part ways with Kidd, who had four years remaining on his contract.

With Kidd now out of a job, the question becomes where he'll end up next. At the moment, three options could be the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic or Portland Trail Blazers, who are all still on the hunt for their next head coach.

Kidd has managed to gain quite a bit of experience since retiring in 2013. He was the coach of the Brooklyn Nets for two years before leading the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014 to 2018. After spending a few seasons on the Los Angeles Lakers' staff, he took over in Dallas in 2021.

His time with the Mavs was his most successful tenure, as he led Dallas to the Western Conference Finals twice and made a Finals run in 2024, though the team fell short against the Boston Celtics.

While Kidd might not be one of the premier head coaches in the league, he should be an option for all three teams that currently have vacancies.

The Bulls reportedly have a list of candidates ready to interview, and Kidd could very well find himself on that list in the coming days. Chicago appears to be in rebuild mode after selling big at the trade deadline, so Kidd taking that job could depend on whether he wants a challenge or an established squad.

The Magic have been a playoff team for a few years now and have a roster capable of competing for years to come, with young star Paolo Banchero at the forefront. Getting to coach a group already in the mix in the East might be intriguing for Kidd.

However, NBA insider Marc Stein reported Tuesday that it's unclear if the Magic will pursue Kidd again after previously having interest in him in the summer of 2021:

Portland is probably the least likely destination for Kidd unless the Blazers are willing to change how they're approaching their coaching search. The team's new owner, Tom Dundon, reportedly is aiming to spend just $1.5 million on the next head coach, which would be a significant salary cut for Kidd, who was making nearly $10 million in Dallas.

Given the lack of vacancies this offseason, it's realistic to think that Kidd might just take the year off and wait to see what comes up next season, or serve as an assistant as he awaits his next opportunity.