Jason Kidd was shown the door in Dallas. Will he be out of work for long?
The 53-year-old was fired by new Mavericks president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri on Tuesday in a move that sent shockwaves through the NBA.
The Magic, Bulls and Trail Blazers are the teams still looking for head coaches, and NBA reporter Marc Stein noted that Orlando had interest in Kidd in 2021 and is looking for an experienced head coach, though whether the Magic will pursue him is still to be determined.
The Magic fired Jamahl Mosley after blowing a 3-1 series lead against the top-seeded Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, marking the third straight year Mosley’s Magic were eliminated in the opening round.
Mosley, who was at the helm in Orlando for five years, is now the Pelicans’ head coach.
Orlando hoped to take a step forward after acquiring Desmond Bane last offseason, but went 45-37 and settled for the Play-In Tournament before coming close to taking down the top seed.
Kidd, who has a 388-395 record as a coach including his one season with the Nets and four years with the Bucks, led the Mavericks through tumultuous times over five campaigns, including last season’s trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, who immediately went down with a season-ending injury.
Stein reported before the Mavericks fired Kidd that former Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy and Billy Donovan are expected to be candidates for the Magic’s vacancy.
After drafting eventual Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick last year, the Mavericks went 26-56 this season.
