Jason Kidd’s abrupt Mavericks departure may stem from a Luka Doncic trade truth

Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday evening, as this was an abrupt statement move by new team president Masai Ujiri, but with the reason for Kidd's exit being largely unclear, perhaps Ujiri got rid of him because of Kidd's involvement in the Luka Doncic trade.

Even with Nico Harrison long gone in Dallas, there had been rumors that Kidd was in lockstep with Harrison on trading Doncic. Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took to a podcast recently where he essentially confirmed Kidd's involvement in the trade, and this was enough to set plenty of Mavericks fans off online.

Several media outlets have reported that Kidd was part of the Doncic trade for weeks now, and he had nowhere to run. Doncic refuses to even look at Kidd when Dallas plays the Los Angeles Lakers, and that means something. He clearly thinks that his former head coach was part of the reason the Mavericks traded him, and now, so does everyone else.

Kidd's firing may have stemmed from his involvement in Doncic trade

Ujiri mentioned needing a clean slate when asked about Kidd being relieved of his duties during a Wednesday press conference at the American Airlines Center, so this gives credence to the fact that Ujiri might be trying to let go of everyone involved in the decision to trade Doncic or who was a part of that regime.

Former Mavericks co-interim GM Matt Riccardi was also let go by Dallas yesterday, and he was around for the Doncic era as well, so this definitely speaks to the fact that Ujiri might want to wipe all involvement from the decision to trade Doncic.

Whatever one's opinion of Kidd may be, and even if he was involved in the Doncic trade, the shock factor of this move by Ujiri cannot be overstated enough. Kidd's track record spoke for itself in Dallas, as he led the Mavericks to two Western Conference Finals in 2022 and 2024, as well as the franchise's third NBA Finals berth in 2024.

Ujiri making a move like this speaks volumes to his opinion on Kidd

Kidd finished with an exact .500 winning percentage in Dallas at 205-205, and this percentage would've been significantly higher had they not traded Doncic, but it's starting to seem increasingly likely he was involved in his ultimate demise when reading through the tea leaves on Ujiri's comments about wanting a clean slate.

Ujiri pleaded for organizational alignment when he got to Dallas, and if he felt like he wasn't in line with the long-term goal of winning a championship, it certainly could've stemmed from him having a part in the Doncic trade. The Doncic trade was not a winning move, no matter how one wants to slice it, and Kidd and Harrison were buddy-buddy at the end of the day, so it makes sense in a vacuum why Ujiri went in this direction.

Ultimately, Ujiri will have to find a coach who was just as player-friendly as Kidd was, with an even better track record. Kidd had great relations with Dallas' star players in Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, and a move like this can't come without finding a better candidate to replace him, especially since Kidd had a ton of money and years left on his deal.

The Mavericks now have a head coaching vacancy to address this offseason, and hopefully, whoever they bring in can help galvanize a winning culture in Dallas yet again, as that has to be Ujiri and company's main priority with Dallas having no control of their future first-round picks until 2031 after this upcoming draft.

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