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On the day he signed a four-year, $29 million deal to become head coach of the Indiana Pacers, Rick Carlisle endorsed Jason Kidd as his replacement with the Dallas Mavericks.

Carlisle was hired for a second stint as Pacers head coach after resigning in Dallas last week, one day after general manager Donnie Nelson was fired by owner Mark Cuban.



“It’s hard to put an exact finger on it,” Carlisle told ESPN. “It’s just a feeling that I had that it would be mutually beneficial. 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.”

Kidd is an assistant coach under Frank Vogel with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 48-year-old Kidd was a 10-time All-Star and spent part of his career playing for the Mavericks, who drafted him No. 2 overall in the 1994 draft. Kidd also played for Carlisle in Dallas from 2007-2012.

He also played for the Phoenix Suns and then-New Jersey Nets, and later coached the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. He has a record of 183-190 as a head coach.

Mavericks Not Tipping Hand

The New York Times reported Thursday the Mavericks are currently focused on the general manager vacancy and have not focused on Kidd or any other coaching candidate.

Cuban said during the regular season he would retain Carlisle as rumors began to swirl of his imminent departure.

After an in-person meeting, Cuban and the Mavericks announced Carlisle’s resignation.

Central to building the roster is a new contract for Doncic, who is eligible to sign a maximum extension this offseason valued at over $200 million.

Other critical components for a new GM to decide include whether to re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr. He is an unrestricted free agent.

The future of Kristaps Porzingis in Dallas isn’t clear. Porzingis was an All-Star with the New York Knicks but hasn’t taken a back seat to Doncic in Dallas. Nelson said before the Mavericks were eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Clippers that a Doncic-Porzingis rift was “way overblown.”



–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)