Assessing Wednesday NBA Play-In tournament props
Brad Thomas and Vaugh Dalzell break down their best bets for Wednesday's NBA Play-In tournament games featuring the Miami Heat vs. the Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Sacramento Kings.
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Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Knicks and Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd Reportedly Have Mutual Interest
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. According to a new report, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is interested in the New York Knicks' coaching opening, further fueling rumors of a union forming between both parties. The Knicks fired former head coach Tom Thibodeau despite the team reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in decades. The front office, whether fairly or not, had title-winning aspirations and were disappointed about how short the team fell this season. The Knicks are focused on finding their next head coach, who they hope will be able to take the team over the top and deliver a championship. One of the hottest names in the coaching search's early stages is Kidd, who led the Mavs to the NBA Finals a season ago. Head coach Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center on January 31, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kidd is seeking a contract extension this... Head coach Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center on January 31, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kidd is seeking a contract extension this upcoming offseason. MoreKidd played for the Knicks at the end of his career and spent most of his basketball career in the New York area, considering his long stint with the New Jersey Nets. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reports that there is interest on both sides of the aisle to make Kidd the next Knicks head coach. "The way I would describe this is there's mutual intrigue on both sides, and also, I know there's this whole thing about asking for permission," Windhorst said during an appearance on SportsCenter. "You don't ask for permission to hire another team's coach. When you ask, you're going to hire them. "So essentially, when the Knicks express interest, the ball will be in the Mavericks' court, and they have three options, as I see it. "One, they can just say, no, thank you very much. Jason, we'll see you in the fall. "They can try to make Jason Kidd have zero interest in the Knicks, possibly with a new contract. They did just give him an extension last year. "Or they can negotiate a trade, and we have seen a handful of trades of coaches over the last 15 to 18 years, including Jason Kidd being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second-round picks 11 years ago. "So it's not like Jason Kidd hasn't been in this situation before." Windy on Kidd being linked to the Knicks HC gig: "The way I would describe this is there's mutual intrigue on both sides" — Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 9, 2025 Windhorst's reporting seemingly confirms the feeling around the league that the Knicks have Kidd as a top candidate. To get Kidd out of his contract with the Mavs, it will take compensation, but considering how bold the Knicks were to fire their successful coach, they would likely not hesitate to do what it takes to get what they see as a difference-maker. More NBA news: Kevin Durant Future Reportedly Tied to Giannis Antetokounmpo NBA Champion Says Timberwolves Should Target This Anthony Edwards Co-Star Lakers Listed as Potential Landing Spot For All-Star Center For more NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
NBC Sports
9 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Roll with Haliburton to score most 3-pointers
After the Oklahoma City Thunder tied the series with the Indiana Pacers at 1-1, Vaugh Dalzell highlights the players who are most likely to score the most 3-pointers in the NBA Finals.
New York Times
11 hours ago
- New York Times
Knicks head coach search: Is Jason Kidd Plan A? What we know
About a week has passed since the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau — the franchise's winningest coach this century – on the heels of New York making the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. So far, everything about the franchise's search for a new coach seems … odd. The Knicks have interest in Jason Kidd, per league sources. The problem? Kidd, the coach of the Dallas Mavericks, has two years left on his contract. The Knicks, while they might be preparing to ask for permission to interview Kidd for their vacancy, have not yet made a formal request. There has yet to be any contact as of Monday morning, per a Mavericks team source. And yet, when that time comes, per multiple league sources, the expectation is that the Mavericks will deny that request. Advertisement This brings us to this question: Did the Knicks fire Thibodeau without a no-hiccups successor in place? A week into the search, it certainly feels that way. New York is expected to do an exhaustive search that includes coaches at every level, per league sources. However, the expectation for this franchise is to win a championship. Whoever is hired has to carry the weight of that. The Knicks decided to move on from Thibodeau — a decision that The Athletic reported after the Knicks' season ended was in the hands of owner James Dolan — during a coaching cycle that isn't overflowing with heavily experienced, successful head coaches. Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, a champion, is the biggest name on the market with championship experience. Malone, like Thibodeau, is a very good coach, but he shares many tendencies and traits with Thibodeau. Former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown is an experienced name out there, as well. Former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is, too. Ex-Los Angeles Lakers Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego could also be of interest. They are all good coaches and have had various degrees of success, though only Malone has won a championship as a head coach among that group. Would any of those names be clear-cut upgrades over Thibodeau? Not on paper, at least. That the Knicks fired Thibodeau and are currently juggling the idea of trying to pry away currently employed head coaches suggests that Thibodeau's firing might have been made without a sure-fire successor in mind. With that said, maybe the Knicks' decision-makers really believe Kidd is attainable. The Mavericks head coach has connections to several members of the Knicks organization, including star guard Jalen Brunson and Knicks vice president of sports medicine Casey Smith. Furthermore, Kidd didn't always enjoy being Dallas' spokesperson in the aftermath of the franchise trading Luka Dončić, per league sources. In a Feb. 10 game against the Kings, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford got hurt. In the middle of the injury crisis, multiple fans were also ejected for protesting the Dončić trade. Kidd didn't address the media afterward. Advertisement 'I just needed a break,' Kidd explained Feb. 12 — two days later. In New York, Kidd would continue to be the spokesperson. President Leon Rose hasn't fielded questions from independent media in several years. If Dallas were to deny the Knicks' request, and Kidd would prefer to coach elsewhere, could he put up enough of a stink behind the scenes to make the organization's decision-makers change their mind? It feels like the Knicks are banking on that. Even then, the Mavericks almost certainly would want draft compensation to facilitate such a rare move. New York, which depleted most of its draft capital over the last calendar year, would have to consider that as it moved forward in the process. (Kidd was previously involved in a coaching trade. In 2014, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired his coaching rights from the Brooklyn Nets for two second-round picks.) Lastly, maybe there is an expectation that owners get involved to work something out. They've proved they can work together in other settings. Dolan's Sphere in Las Vegas is on property owned by Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson. A lot of moving parts would have to work in the Knicks' favor in order to make Jason Kidd their next head coach. There's nothing wrong with targeting an employed head coach for their vacant position. Due diligence is good. It just seems a little odd that it appears to be Plan A. The Knicks have backed themselves into a corner between the firing of Thibodeau and this upcoming hire. They've made it clear that what the winningest coach in recent franchise history did wasn't good enough to reach their ultimate goal of a championship. It'll be tough for New York's suits to win the headlines and backpages with the next head coach, unless they have something up their sleeves, which is totally possible. Until the big reveal, though, the Knicks appear to be in limbo. No available coach is an obvious upgrade or change of pace from Thibodeau. Getting a proven coach from another team seems far-fetched. Hiring an inexperienced or first-year head coach, while it might end up being the right decision a year from now, is a difficult sell to fans who now have heightened expectations after several successful seasons and based on the franchise's own language following the firing of Thibodeau. New York just has to get this right. Maybe it will. Right now, though, this all feels lackluster. Christian Clark and Fred Katz contributed reporting.
