National Basketball Association

Dallas Mavericks take chance on Jason Kidd as coach, Nico Harrison as GM

Updated Jun. 25, 2021 8:28 p.m. ET

The Dallas Mavericks organization has undergone a dramatic offseason change in leadership.

With Donnie Nelson departing as general manager and Rick Carlisle leaving as head coach, all within the past week, it didn't take long for the franchise to find replacements for both its sideline leader and top front-office executive.

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First, to the head coach.

After spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, Jason Kidd has been tabbed as the next man to lead the Mavericks.

The hiring of Kidd comes as no surprise, with Carlisle giving his former championship-winning point guard the seal of approval on his way to Indiana.

Kidd played for Carlisle on the 2011 Mavericks team that won the franchise's lone NBA championship and is one of the most successful point guards in NBA history, earning a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Kidd has had two stops as a head coach since his playing career ended, leading the Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs in 2013-14 before moving on to coach the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014-18.

He led the Bucks to the playoffs twice during his tenure before being relieved of his coaching duties midway through the 2017-18 season. At the top of the next season, current Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer took over and has led Milwaukee to a 162-65 regular-season record.

Having coached Giannis Antetokounmpo early in his career with the Bucks, and finishing his head coaching career in Milwaukee with a regular-season record of 139-152, Kidd will now be tasked with overseeing another young superstar in Luka Doncic.

Yet the coaching styles of Carlisle and Kidd appear vastly different on paper.

Over the last three seasons coaching Doncic, Carlisle's Mavericks teams have had an average offensive rating of 113.8 and an average defensive rating of 111.8. During Kidd's four full seasons as a head coach with the Nets and Bucks, his teams had an average offensive rating of 105.7 and an average defensive rating of 107.0.

Now, rosters affect a coach's approach, but by the numbers, it appears Carlisle was more offensively inclined, while Kidd's teams performed at a higher level on the defensive end. But it's clear Kidd will have to adjust his approach in some way, considering he now has one of the elite offensive talents in the game in Doncic.

The hiring of Harrison was more surprising, even though he had already built a strong rapport with the Mavericks organization from his time spent as an executive at Nike.

He will now serve as general manager and president of basketball operations for Mark Cuban's organization.

Harrison worked at Nike as an NBA representative since 2002, where he helped play a role in building the brand and image of Kobe Bryant under the sneaker conglomerate.

He has long been sought after by NBA teams and has finally made the decision to cross over into a team's front office.

Despite a positive reaction from LeBron James and others, the moves by Dallas come with controversy.

Some have questioned Kidd's hiring, considering he was arrested for domestic abuse in 2001.

Moreover, in February of 2018, Sports Illustrated released a report that detailed a hostile work environment within the Dallas organization, including sexual harassment and domestic violence claims.

Given the gravity of those circumstances, Kidd will be under the microscope next season and into the future, as will Cuban's decision to hire his former point guard.

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