Jason Kidd quietly lost a major power battle inside the Mavericks

The power structure in Dallas is shifting, and Jason Kidd’s long-rumored bid for greater organizational influence appears to have gone nowhere in the process. The Dallas Mavericks made a blockbuster front-office hire in Masai Ujiri, naming him team president and alternate governor, a uniquely powerful title within the organization. Since then, questions about Kidd’s long-term future with the franchise have only intensified.

Jason Kidd's uncertain role in the Mavericks' power structure

Of course, Kidd wasn’t, and hasn’t necessarily been, the primary voice in personnel decisions. That responsibility belonged to Nico Harrison before his firing in November, then shifted to Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi. Still, according to NBA insider Tim MacMahon, Kidd had previously hoped to land the team president role himself.

There have been prior reports linking Kidd to several organizational decisions, including the ill-fated February 2025 trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. But Kidd never publicly owned those reports, instead sidestepping questions about the deal and insisting that “we have to move forward.”

Above all, there have long been signs that Kidd wanted greater influence within the Mavericks organization — something recently reinforced by MacMahon.

Nonetheless, Kidd’s pursuit of greater power always appeared more of a pipe dream than a realistic possibility. Roughly a decade ago, several NBA figures simultaneously held head coaching and team president duties, but this once-popular league trend has since faded away. In 2017, five coaches carried that level of authority. Today, that number is zero.

While MacMahon did not specify whether Kidd envisioned a dual role, there has never been any indication that the Hall of Famer wanted to relinquish his position as head coach. If anything, it suggested Kidd was interested in adding executive authority on top of his current responsibilities.

Moreover, the possibility of expanded influence for Kidd never appeared to dissuade Patrick Dumont. The Mavericks majority owner has long been known as an admirer of Kidd, reportedly even prioritizing him during the franchise’s search for a team president.

Masai Ujiri reshapes the hierarchy

Yet the hiring of Ujiri complicates that narrative. Ujiri is among the most prominent executive names in the sport, arguably the most accomplished of his generation. And notably, Kidd did not appear to have a role in the decision to bring him in. That alone raises questions about Kidd’s standing within the Mavericks hierarchy moving forward.

Adding further uncertainty, Ujiri did not confirm or deny whether Kidd would be part of the Mavericks’ long-term plans. As a result, what comes next remains unclear. Though, as MacMahon has noted, Ujiri now sits at the top of the organizational hierarchy.

All in all, the takeaway is that Dumont may not have prioritized Kidd to the extent previously believed. The focus on the Mavericks has clearly shifted toward Masai Ujiri.

As a result, Kidd’s quiet push for greater organizational power appears to have gone nowhere. He was never seriously positioned for a team president role, and with the franchise now restructuring under Ujiri’s leadership, his influence within the organization appears increasingly limited.

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