New Mavericks President’s Major Statement Put Head Coach Jason Kidd In Hot Seat

Jason Kidd has been the Dallas Mavericks head coach since 2021 and has seen the team reach great highs with a 2024 NBA Finals appearance and lows when the organization traded away Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers. However, his future with the Mavericks has been put into precarity with the appointment of new President of Basketball Operations and Alternate Governor Masai Ujiri. 

During his first media conference since getting the job in Dallas, Ujiri said that he will be talking to Kidd to discuss and examine his position. Ujiri did not specify if Kidd would continue to be the team’s head coach next season. 

“I had a conversation with Jason Kidd yesterday. I’m going to meet with Jason Kidd. Get his thoughts on everything,” Ujiri said in his introductory press conference. “We are going to look at this thing from head to toe. That’s the right way to look at an organization.”

The Mavericks missed the playoffs for the second straight season, after finishing their 2025-2026 NBA campaign with a 26-56 record. 

Nevertheless, the team had silver linings this season, highlighted by the emergence of Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who has become the franchise’s next face following the departure of Doncic. 

The team has struggled to find its footing since former Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison traded away Doncic for a package centered around Anthony Davis, who was eventually dealt to the Washington Wizards this season. 

Over the past four seasons, Kidd tallied a 179-149 record for the Mavericks. 

Kidd has also seen numerous roster transitions during his stint as head coach. This season, Kidd prioritized development for the team’s young core, allowing more new players to have learning curves. 

Masai Ujiri Has Put Emphasis on Building Around Cooper Flagg

GettyDallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg is at the center of the team’s next chapter.

Cooper Flagg has been the Mavericks’ ace since he was drafted by the team as the top pick in last year’s NBA draft. 

Now that Ujiri is in charge, he wants to put emphasis on building the team around him and finally move forward following the disastrous Doncic trade. 

“We have a saying in Africa, we say, ‘when kings go, kings come’ and a king went [Luka] and we have a little prince [Cooper Flagg] here now. He’s turning into a king and I think we have to start thinking that way,” he said. 

Ujiri had been the Toronto Raptors general manager from 2013 to 2025. He is widely regarded as the architect of the Raptors’ 2019 championship team, led by the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Marc Gasol. 

Now he looks to replicate that success in Dallas, a franchise that has yet to win a title since Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title. 

Masai Ujiri Puts Winning As Priority

GettyMasai Ujiri speaks about his priority with the Mavericks.

Ultimately, Masai Ujiri only wants the organization to gain success in the near future. 

“I know that winning is my drive and winning is going to be the drive of this organization,” he said. 

Ujiri has many assets at his disposal, with veteran contracts such as Klay Thompson and PJ Washington on top of youngsters who have yet to prove themselves with the team.

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