The Mavericks were not Kidd-ing around when they told the Knicks to look elsewhere for a coach.
In case the flailing Knicks get the idea to circle back to the Mavericks about trading for coach Jason Kidd, it has been made clear that he is firmly unavailable — as if the first time they denied the Knicks permission to speak with Kidd while under contract wasn’t clear enough.
“I think the most important thing here is the message that the Mavericks sent out here was not that his was a ‘Nah.’ This was a ‘No.’ They are not interested in further negotiations at all – ‘Don’t even call back’ is the message they wanted out there,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported earlier this week.
The belief around the NBA is that Kidd, who coached the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, is seeking a contract extension, sources told The Post’s Stefan Bondy.
If that deal doesn’t get done, could Kidd make things uncomfortable enough to force his way out? Maybe, but the Knicks also offer nice leverage to get that deal done in Dallas.
The Post previously reported that Kidd has fans in James Dolan and star Jalen Brunson, who played for him in Dallas,.
The Knicks are onto their Plan Z options after receiving rejections to speak with coaches from the teams that currently employ Kidd, Billy Donovan (Bulls), Quin Snyder (Hawks), Ime Udoka (Rockets) and Chris Finch (Timberwolves).
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright (retired) is not in the mix, while Dan Hurley (Connecticut) indicated he would not be in the running either.
Tom Thibodeau was fired without a clear plan of who would take over but the Knicks are not in a rush to fill the job as they cast a wide net and perform due diligence, The Post previously reported.
Former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and the well-traveled Mike Brown – who coached the Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals and was the 2023 NBA Coach of the Year for the Kings – are the favorites at this point and will soon interview for the opening.
Mike Budenholzer, Michael Malone and Frank Vogel are all NBA championship-winning coaches on the market.
Malone has Knicks’ ties and Bondy reported that he could get an interview but remains a long shot.
