Masai Ujiri just cast real doubt on Jason Kidd’s Mavericks future

One of Patrick Dumont’s priorities in hiring a new president of basketball operations was finding someone who would work hand in hand with current head coach Jason Kidd. Yet, based on Masai Ujiri’s comments at his introductory press conference, that plan may already be in question.

Jason Kidd’s future is uncertain after Masai Ujiri’s opening comments

The best way to describe Ujiri’s response to a question about Kidd’s future: noncommittal. Ujiri made it clear he’s approaching the role with a ground-up mindset. That doesn’t necessarily mean Kidd is on his way out, but it does signal that a full-scale evaluation is underway.

Following his noncommittal response, Ujiri was asked whether Kidd’s return is in doubt. His answer offered little clarity. “I’ve done the same thing everywhere I’ve been,” Ujiri said, pointing to his previous stops where he inherited a head coach — George Karl in Denver and Dwane Casey in Toronto.

Later, he doubled down on that uncertainty. “There’s no way to read this… I’m going to hear coach Kidd out… because of the stuff here I don’t know, and for me, it’s not simple.”

Thus, Ujiri is stepping into a new and complicated role that won’t be easy. He’s inheriting a Mavericks squad that won just 26 games a season ago, its fewest since 2017–18, and only the second time since 2000 the franchise has finished with fewer than 30 wins.

Ujiri's looming decisions go far beyond Kidd

Ujiri has a franchise building block in place in Cooper Flagg, but beyond the 19-year-old, the Mavericks are close to a clean slate.

There’s also a chance that slate becomes even cleaner if Ujiri and Kidd don’t see eye to eye after their upcoming meetings. Kidd has been in Dallas since 2021, so he’s not new to this situation and likely already has a plan in place. If that vision doesn’t align with Ujiri’s, a change could be on the table.

Moreover, Ujiri has an immediate decision to make: hiring a general manager. Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi previously operated as co-interim GMs, but it remains unclear whether either will return to Dallas. Both showed promise in their short stints, but that call now rests entirely with Ujiri, who could opt to bring in a trusted confidant instead.

There are plenty of questions still to be answered with Ujiri at the helm, but after his introductory press conference, Kidd’s future has quickly vaulted to the forefront. Kidd led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals just two years ago, but the team has won just 65 games over the last two seasons and looks significantly different from the way it did in 2024.

Even though Dumont has made his preference to retain Kidd clear, it’s far from a done deal.

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