Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd confirmed on Wednesday that he never seriously considered leaving the franchise despite the New York Knicks’ interest last summer.
The 52-year-old Hall of Famer told reporters, via Christian Clark of The Athletic, “I was never thinking about leaving Dallas. I love working for Patrick (Dumont). Understanding that we have a lot of work here to be done. I’m all in to be able to do that. I was drafted here. I have won here. I love the city. I love the fans. It never crossed my mind to leave Dallas.”
The Knicks had sought permission from Dallas to interview Kidd for their head coaching vacancy, but the Mavericks declined the request. New York ended up hiring Mike Brown.
On Wednesday night, Kidd’s Mavericks fell 113-111 to the Knicks at American Airlines Center. Jalen Brunson returned from a two-game absence to score a game-high 28 points, while Landry Shamet hit two late 3-pointers and drew a decisive charging foul to secure the victory.
D’Angelo Russell and Naji Marshall each scored 23 points for Dallas, which has now lost five of six games.
