Two familiar faces emerge as Jason Kidd's successor after Mavericks’ coaching shake-up
As the Dallas Mavericks moved head coach Jason Kidd, two familiar faces emerged as his potential successors
Two familiar faces emerge as Jason Kidd's successor after Mavericks’ coaching shake-up originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Dallas Mavericks have officially announced that the organization and head coach Jason Kidd have mutually agreed to part ways, marking a major shift in the franchise’s leadership direction.
Newly appointed Mavericks president Masai Ujiri stated that the organization will now begin a thorough and disciplined search for the next head coach. Ujiri also said that the front office will continue evaluating the entire basketball operations department to ensure the team consistently performs at the level expected by Mavericks fans. Meanwhile, basketball insider Marc Stein shared two potential candidates for the Mavericks’ head coach opening.
“The top candidates to replace Kidd were not immediately apparent Tuesday night, but San Antonio's Sean Sweeney and Minnesota's Micah Nori - widely regarded around the league as future head coaches - are both known quantities in Dallas,” Stein wrote. Sweeney is a familiar face for the Mavericks as he spent four seasons as Kidd’s lead assistant and gained massive credit for helping maximize Luka Doncic during their 2024 NBA Finals run. He joined Mitch Johnson's staff last summer, and the results have been as immediate as they are imposing.
After posting the league's fifth-worst defense in 2024-25, the Spurs jumped to third during the recently completed regular season. The Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama publicly praised Sweeney for transforming the team defense into a high-pressure unit. If Ujiri wants a defensive-minded coach who already understands the local infrastructure, Sweeney makes immense sense.