Mavericks President Masai Ujiri Explains Decision to Fire Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd is leaving his position as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks after five seasons in a move the team is describing as a “mutual decision.”

The Mavericks began a new era earlier this month, hiring longtime NBA executive Masai Ujiri as team president and alternate governor. Ujiri was reportedly “noncommittal” when asked if Kidd, who had four more seasons remaining on his contract, would return for a sixth season at his introductory press conference on May 5.

“He’s done a great job, but we are going to look at this thing from head to toe,” Ujiri said of Kidd at the time. “That’s the right way to look at an organization and evaluate in every single way we can.”

Now, the public knows Ujiri’s thought process.

“As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team,” Ujiri said in a statement. “We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention.

“We will conduct a thorough, disciplined search for our next head coach and continue to evaluate our entire basketball operations staff to ensure we compete at the standard Mavs fans expect and deserve.”

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Kidd led the Mavericks to a Western Conference Finals appearance in his first season as head coach in 2021-22. He also coached the team to the NBA Finals in 2023-24, ultimately losing to the Boston Celtics. The Mavericks missed the playoffs in each of his other three seasons, including a 12th-place finish this past season.

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Whoever lands the head coaching job in Dallas will have an exciting centerpiece to work around: Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks finished 26-56 in Flagg’s Rookie of the Year season, but he’s trending toward becoming one of the best players in the league.

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 7:24 PM.