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Although the New York Knicks were initially denied permission to interview Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, there remains a chance he could still become their next head coach.
According to Ian Begley of SNY, “the door is not completely closed” on Kidd making a move to New York. Begley noted that despite the earlier denial, reports as recent as last week continue to suggest that Kidd remains a viable option, and that status hasn’t changed.
The Knicks surprised the basketball world on June 3 when they fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, even after the team made its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000. In the wake of that decision, Kidd quickly emerged as one of their top candidates to take over.
There are still a few possible paths that could bring Kidd to New York. One would be for the Mavericks to agree to trade him to the Knicks, while another scenario would involve Kidd pushing for an exit from Dallas to pursue a more lucrative opportunity in New York. Something similar has happened before: back in 2014, Kidd, then coaching the Brooklyn Nets, was granted permission to speak with the Milwaukee Bucks about their vacant head coaching role. He ended up taking the job.
From the start of their coaching search, the Knicks have been clear about their strong interest in Kidd. After being turned down in their request to speak with him, the organization reached out to other teams about interviewing their head coaches, including Ime Udoka (Rockets), Chris Finch (Timberwolves), Quin Snyder (Hawks), and Billy Donovan (Bulls).
There are several reasons why Kidd is a particularly appealing candidate for the Knicks. He’s already familiar with New York’s intense media landscape thanks to his time as a player with the Knicks (2012–13) and as the former head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. His coaching credentials are also strong, most recently guiding the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, other candidates are moving forward in the Knicks’ search. Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins have confirmed interviews scheduled for later this week. While it once seemed that Kidd was off the table, recent developments suggest he could still enter the mix sooner than expected.