Report: Kidd to be prime candidate in Mavs' coaching search

Jason Kidd will be a prime candidate in the Dallas Mavericks' head coaching search once it begins, Marc Stein of The New York Times reports.

Kidd, who won a championship with the Mavericks as a player in 2011, received an endorsement from Rick Carlisle, his former head coach.

"My hope is that Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs because he and Luka (Doncic) have so many things in common as players," Carlisle told ESPN's Tim MacMahon shortly after the coach's new deal with the Indiana Pacers was reported.

"I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason. I’m the only person on the planet that’s coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players," Carlisle added. "To me, that just would be a great marriage, but that’s just an opinion."

Kidd was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 after an illustrious 19-season playing career in which he was named to 10 All-Star Games. He currently serves as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, and previously held head coaching positions with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.

The legendary floor general recently took his name out of the running for the Portland Trail Blazers' vacant coaching position. Kidd has also reportedly been a candidate for the Orlando Magic's coaching gig.