New Dallas Mavericks President Masai Ujiri says the decision to sack head coach Jason Kidd came at the “right moment” for the franchise.
Kidd’s departure ends his five-year spell with Dallas, despite having four years and more than $40 million remaining on his contract.
During his time in charge, Kidd led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, where they lost 4-1 to the Boston Celtics.
In a statement announcing the decision, Ujiri said the move aligns with the team’s new direction.
“As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team.”
“We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention” Ujiri said.
As President of the Toronto Raptors, Ujiri made a controversial move by trading star DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard, who led the team to win the NBA title in 2019.
