But with a new power hierarchy in play - one that did not shift his way - Jason Kidd's position coaching the Dallas Mavericks is now in question.
In the aftermath of the Dallas Mavericks hiring Masai Ujiri as the franchise's new president of basketball operations, Jason Kidd is a major topic of discussion.
That's not just because Kidd's future now hangs in the balance after a noncommittal answer from Ujiri, but because Kidd himself reportedly missed out on becoming the team's next top executive.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon reports on The Hoop Collective podcast that Kidd "did try to become the president" of the Mavericks.
"He's known for months that wasn't going to happen," the insider says. MacMahon says Kidd was not involved in Ujiri's hiring process.
"Very clearly, Masai Ujiri is the boss. Period." MacMahon says. "There's no question about the power structure. Masai Ujiri is the boss of all things basketball with the Dallas Mavericks."
This reality casts a questionable shadow onto what Kidd's future for the franchise looks like as it enters Year 2 in the Cooper Flagg era.
When probed with whether Kidd will be brought back, Ujiri skated around the question by leaving the door open for a personal discussion, while also referencing similar situations at his past stops.
"There's no way to read this," Ujiri said about Kidd's status. "I'm going to hear coach Jason Kidd out, his thoughts on everything and follow a lot on what he's saying. Because some of this stuff here, I don't know. If you go back to the history, it's the same thing. I have to follow a process here, and I'm excited to meet with them."
Kidd, 53, signed agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the team in October, about a year and a half removed from another extension signed during the Mavs' 2024 run to the NBA Finals.
That playoff success was Kidd's second trip to the Western Conference Finals or further in his first three years with the team. Dallas has missed the playoffs each of the last two years since the Finals berth.
Ujiri left the door open by saying how, when he previously took over a team's front office, twice has he retained the sitting coach; he kept George Karl in Denver in 2010, and retained Dwane Casey in Toronto in 2013, just after winning Executive of the Year in his final season with the Nuggets.
Karl was fired by the Nuggets after winning the NBA's Coach of the Year award in 2013, but Ujiri had already left for the Raptors at the time.
Casey remained the coach in Toronto for five more seasons. Ujiri hired Nick Nurse in his place, and the Raptors won their first championship later that season.
For Kidd, there remains leverage as for why he should remain the coach. His presence brings continuity to a roster now led by Rookie of the Year Flagg from the jump, and Flagg has seemed to enjoy playing for the Hall-of-Famer player.
Dallas will also be a drastically different team than it was for much of this year. Kyrie Irving will return from his year-long ACL absence, and promising center Dereck Lively II is also expected to be back after only playing in seven games. The Mavs will also welcome a lottery draft pick that will be chosen in this summer.
For now, Kidd, who led Dallas to its only championship as a player in 2010-11, will prepare to enter his sixth season as the Mavericks' head coach.
But with a new power hierarchy in play - one that did not shift in Kidd's way, initially - major changes could come.
