Rick Carlisle Gives Endorsement For Jason Kidd To Be Next Mavericks Coach

After 13 years as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, Rick Carlisle is moving on.

A week after parting ways with the Mavs, Carlisle agreed to a four-year deal to be the next coach of the Indiana Pacers.

Sources: The Pacers are hiring Rick Carlisle as head coach. He will sign a 4-year, $29 million contract.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 24, 2021

Rick Carlisle still has a lot of love for the Mavericks and the city of Dallas. And he even has an idea of who should replace him as the head coach of the Mavs.

“It’s hard to put an exact finger on it,” Carlisle said, via NBA insider Tim MacMahon. “It’s just a feeling that I had that it would be mutually beneficial. My hope is that Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs because he and Luka have so many things in common as players.

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“I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason. I’m the only person on the planet that’s coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players. To me, that just would be a great marriage, but that’s just an opinion.”

Carlisle (cont.): "I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason. I’m the only person on the planet that’s coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players."

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 24, 2021

Rick Carlisle knows Jason Kidd pretty well. The hard-nosed point guard played under Carlisle for four seasons in Dallas and helped the team win the NBA Championship in 2011.

With Mavericks also looking for a new general manager, team legend Dirk Nowitzki has joined Mark Cuban in his search efforts. This is important because Dirk has developed a great relationship with young superstar Luka Doncic.

Nowitzki also played with Kidd during their championship run in Dallas, and it would make a whole lot of sense if he ends up getting the head coaching gig.

Right now, Jason Kidd is emerging as an early front-runner to fill the void left by Rick Carlisle in Dallas.

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