The interest between Jason Kidd and the Knicks is mutual, The Post confirmed.
Kidd remains under contract with the Mavericks, but the Hall of Famer is intrigued by the Knicks gig, a source said, confirming a report Monday from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Knicks president Leon Rose canned Tom Thibodeau last week after the Knicks were eliminated by Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals.
Kidd, who played for the Knicks in the final year of his NBA career in 2012-13, has coached the Mavericks for the past four seasons, including a trip to the NBA Finals one year ago.
He also has a strong relationship with Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson, who played his first four pro seasons with the Mavs, including one under Kidd’s tutelage in 2021-22.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd and the Knicks have mutual interest, The Post confirmed. Getty Images
Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported on his Substack account Friday that the Knicks would formally ask for permission to speak with Kidd, but it is unclear if that request has been made.
Dallas missed the playoffs after trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February before winning the NBA Draft Lottery last month for the right to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 selection.
Kidd previously coached the Nets and the Bucks, and he’s close with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, a potential blockbuster trade target for the Knicks this summer.
The Post reported Saturday that former Villanova coach Jay Wright is not interested in the position.
Ime Udoka is another current NBA coach the Knicks have considered pursuing, but ESPN reported that the Rockets will not grant teams permission to speak with him.
The Post also has reported that former Nuggets coach Mike Malone is not expected to be a candidate.
Jason Kidd (l.) and Jalen Brunson (r.) with the Mavericks in 2022. NBAE via Getty ImagesKidd signed a two-year contract extension through 2026-27, per Stein, with the Mavericks during last year’s postseason run, so a potential move to the Knicks likely would require compensation.
The Celtics received an unprotected first-round pick as compensation after the Clippers hired Doc Rivers in 2013, and the Nets recouped two second-round picks when Kidd was hired by the Bucks the following year.
Kidd sports a .516 career winning percentage (362-339) in nine seasons as an NBA coach, beginning with a 44-38 record in his lone season on the bench in Brooklyn and a 139-152 mark over three-plus seasons in Milwaukee before getting axed just past the midpoint of the 2017-18 campaign.
The 10-time All-Star spent two years as an assistant coach with the Lakers before getting hired in Dallas in 2021 to replace Rick Carlisle, who led a Mavs squad featuring Kidd to the only championship in team history in 2011.
Carlisle and the Pacers, who have knocked out the Knicks in each of the past two postseasons, have split the first two games of the NBA Finals against the Thunder entering Game 3 on Wednesday night.
— Additional reporting by Stefan Bondy
