Mavericks' Jason Kidd may have been fired over front office push

A coaching change two weeks into Masai Ujiri's tenure as Dallas Mavericks president has raised some questions. The decision to fire Jason Kidd after five seasons, two playoff appearances, and an NBA Finals run in 2024 didn't sit easily with parts of the Mavericks fanbase, and Ujiri publicly framed the move as a "fresh start" without much detail. 

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix offered a different perspective.

According to Mannix, the firing may have had less to do with the bench and more to do with who Kidd was becoming inside the organization.

"More likely, the decision to can Kidd was about eliminating a potential power struggle. As Sports Illustrated has reported, Kidd wanted the top front office job. He’s also influential with ownership, specifically team governor Patrick Dumont, and has the support of Cooper Flagg, Dallas’s franchise star, and Kyrie Irving, its All-Star point guard. By moving on from Kidd, Ujiri may believe he is excising a potential problem before it becomes one.”Mannix wrote.

Why Ujiri's first major Dallas move targeted leadership consolidation more than results

The Toronto Raptors' 2019 championship came after Ujiri replaced Coach of the Year Dwane Casey with Nick Nurse and traded franchise icon DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard. Organizational changes upon arrival are a pattern.

Ujiri publicly stressed during a Wednesday press conference that the call was his alone and that ownership backed him.

"What he's done for this organization we truly respect, so this was a very, very tough decision," Ujiri said. "I have to be accountable with a decision like this. I also have to be very active in how I look at the organization from top to bottom."

Kidd had four years and well over $40 million left on his Mavericks contract. Ujiri also explicitly rejected the framing that Kidd's firing was related to the February 2025 trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis.

"Honestly, that trade has played no part in how I have thought about anything," Ujiri said.

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