DALLAS — “I got a new deal, that's about it.” Jason Kidd kicked off his media availability after practice on Monday with those eight words.
Kidd's comment came after news broke Monday morning that he had agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks. Although Kidd's initial statement was humorous and blunt, the Mavs head coach then opened up on what the deal means to him.
“I'm very thankful for Patrick (Dumont) and Nico (Harrison) to be able to have a new deal moving forward,” Kidd said. “I truly believe Patrick and Nico are building a championship team and I'm happy to be apart of it.”
The Mavs clearly believe in Kidd. Dumont, the Mavericks governor, and Harrison, the Mavericks president of basketball operations, have championship aspirations. They feel that Kidd is the right person for the job to lead the team moving forward. And that is something that Kidd does not take for granted.
“It means a lot,” Kidd said. “The work that the coaching staff and the players are putting in means a lot and hopefully they saw that. Through the good and the stuff that we had to get better at… This is a work-in-progress. This is a very talented team. To be apart of it, I'm very blessed.”
Jason Kidd set to lead Mavericks for years to come
It is not just the Mavericks front office that has belief in Kidd. Players have spoken highly of the head coach. Mavs center Daniel Gafford also spoke to reporters on Monday and shared his thoughts on the news of Kidd's contract extension.
“My biggest congrats to him,” Gafford said. “Obviously well-deserved. One of the, I would say, best coaches this year from what I've been seeing. Just, you know, real poised. Knows how to really assert the dominance in the locker room when it comes to whenever we need to get our heads on straight. But in all honesty, the biggest congrats to him. Like I said, well-deserved. Something I'm pretty sure he's been working towards for the longest. I can't wait for what's next for the team.”
Rumors recently swirled that were connecting Kidd to the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching position. Those rumors were quickly shut down as whispers emerged about a potential Kidd-Mavericks contract extension. Sure enough, the news was announced on Monday morning.
Jason Kidd has found success in Dallas so far as a head coach. He's led the team to two 50 or more win seasons. The Mavericks reached the Western Conference Finals during the 2021-22 campaign, which was Kidd's first season as Dallas' head coach. They missed the postseason in 2022-23 but rebounded in 2023-24.
Now the Mavericks are preparing for a second-round playoff clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
So what is Kidd's message to Mavericks fans after signing his new contract extension?
“We're trying to win a championship,” Kidd said. “We're playing a very talented team in Oklahoma City. Understanding that the foundation is being built. Our ultimate goal is to win a championship and hopefully we can do that here in the next three years.”