Mavs Icon Jason Kidd Pursues New Job While Awaiting Next NBA Chance

DALLAS - Jason Kidd has made clear he intends to coach again. In the meantime, he has found somewhere else to be.

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Marc Stein reported Monday that "ESPN is in advanced talks to hire former Mavericks coach Jason Kidd to add him to their NBA studio coverage." The Athletic followed with the specifics, reporting that the plan would see Kidd join the NBA Countdown crew.

The seat opened because Michael Malone left for North Carolina, taking the Tar Heels job after one season in television. Malone had moved into the role following his dismissal in Denver, and the vacancy created an obvious fit for another recently available coach with a significant resume.

Kidd would join a show hosted by Malika Andrews, who also anchors NBA Today, alongside returning analysts Kendrick Perkins and Chiney Ogwumike. Countdown continues to air across ESPN and ABC on nights when TNT's Inside the NBA is not scheduled.

Kidd qualifies on both the playing and coaching fronts. He spent five seasons in Dallas, going 208-186 in the regular season and reaching the playoffs three times, including two Western Conference finals appearances and a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals. Before that, he coached Brooklyn and Milwaukee. As a player, he is a Hall of Famer and one of the best point guards the sport has produced.

That combination plays well in a studio. Kidd has credibility from both chairs, recent experience coaching stars and relationships across the league that he has maintained since leaving Dallas.

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Television also solves a practical problem for a coach between jobs. Staying visible matters, and the format gives Kidd a platform to shape how people think about his tenure in Dallas rather than letting the Luka Dončić fallout define it entirely.

That ending was rough. The Mavericks traded their franchise player in February 2025, cratered to 26 wins the following season, cleaned out the front office and dismissed Kidd roughly two weeks after hiring Masai Ujiri. The accounts that have surfaced since have not all been flattering. Mavericks fans will now get to hear from Kidd regularly, which should make for an interesting dynamic as Dallas opens a new era without him.