Jason Kidd rumor revives Mavericks' unthinkable nightmare of him bolting for Knicks

Outside of the Dallas Mavericks winning the NBA Draft Lottery and having the right to select Cooper Flagg later this month, the talk of the town has been Jason Kidd and his future with the team. The 2025-26 season will be Kidd's fifth season with the team, but there is some fear from fans that he won't be leading Anthony Davis and Flagg into war on opening night next season, thanks to the New York Knicks.

With the Knicks firing Tom Thibodeau earlier this month, they are searching for a new head coach, and Kidd is near the top of the list. The Knicks have strong interest in making Kidd their next head coach, and while the Mavericks are expected to deny New York's request to interview him, that hasn't been done yet.

According to new reports, the interest between Kidd and the Knicks also isn't one-sided. It's mutual.

Jason Kidd has rumored 'intrigue' in leaving the Mavericks for Knicks

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, there is "mutual intrigue on both sides" when it comes to Kidd becoming the next head coach of the Knicks, giving this entire saga an entirely new set of legs. Before this report from Windhorst, it had just been known that the Knicks were interested in Kidd and planned to reach out to Dallas to interview him.

Now we know that there is interest from Kidd's side as well to head to New York, and if the Mavericks are set on keeping Kidd as their head coach next season and into the future, it would be in their best interest to shut this down now while they can.

Dallas can make it clear to the Knicks that they would deny any request they had to interview Kidd, just like the Houston Rockets did with Ime Udoka, as all of the uncertainty surrounding the Mavs' true stance on Kidd's future in Dallas is what is keeping all of this going. The Mavericks not doing this yet could cause these rumors to develop into something more, and if Dallas did end up allowing the Knicks to interview Kidd, that would likely mean that he has one foot out the door already.

Kidd is still under contract with the Mavericks, as they just signed him to an extension during the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and time will tell if he will be the one leading the Mavs next season. He has made plenty of major accomplishments during his tenure as the head coach of the Mavericks, including multiple Western Conference Finals appearances and a trip to the NBA Finals, and Dallas shouldn't destroy the continuity of their coaching staff.

Flagg having stability as a rookie will be important, and with him having his official visit with the Mavs set for next week, there would be no better time to shut all of this down than right now. The NBA Draft is just over two weeks away, and they should shut down all of the chatter about Kidd leaving down as soon as possible to show the entire league that they are committed to beginning a new era with Kidd driving the ship.

His relationships with his guys are what truly set him apart, and Flagg stepping into a spot with a "players' coach" will be great for his development early on. Flagg is known for always trying to get better and communicating with his coaches about how he can do that, and Dallas must sort this situation out before next week to ensure that Flagg's pre-draft visit goes as smoothly as possible.