Jason Kidd is officially out as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks after five seasons. The team announced a mutual parting of ways on Tuesday evening following a 26-56 finish that left them out of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The coaching change comes exactly two weeks after the franchise hired former Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri to take over as team president and governor.
Ujiri released an official statement confirming the move along with Kidd’s 205-205 regular-season coaching record, noting: “As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team.”
The firing was foreshadowed during an introductory press conference on May 5. Ujiri deliberately remained noncommittal regarding Kidd’s job security at the time, opting instead for a clean slate to build a sustained championship contention culture. The change abruptly ends Kidd’s plans to develop the team’s 2025 No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg.
His five-year tenure in Dallas included extreme highs. He successfully led Dallas to the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and all the way to the NBA Finals in 2024.
The team’s trajectory collapsed following a front-office decision during the 2024-25 season. Former general manager Nico Harrison traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal centered around Anthony Davis. Injuries prevented the new duo of Davis and Kyrie Irving from establishing a rhythm, as they played together for only 2.5 quarters. Harrison was fired early in the 2025-26 season, Davis was later shipped to Washington, and Dallas missed the playoffs in back-to-back years.
Kidd now joins Monty Williams and Ime Udoka as head coaches who guided their teams to the NBA Finals since 2019 but are no longer employed by those franchises.