The Dallas Mavericks intend to hire a new general manager before the draft and pair that executive with coach Jason Kidd, according to a report. Owner Patrick Dumont is targeting high-profile candidates while the team navigates fallout from a controversial trade. Interim leaders Matt Ricciardi and Michael Finley remain in consideration.
Dallas has operated with co-interim general managers Matt Ricciardi and Michael Finley since firing Nico Harrison in November. The team aims to finalize the hire after the regular season ends on April 12. Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that the Mavericks want the new GM to partner with Jason Kidd, whom they plan to bring back as coach. Potential targets include Sam Presti, Brad Stevens, R.C. Buford, Bob Myers and Tim Connelly, per Stein and Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Owner Patrick Dumont is leading the search without a firm, as confirmed by CEO Rick Welts at a Tuesday lunch with reporters. Welts described the hire as the organization's most important upcoming decision, with no fixed criteria set for candidates. The decision comes amid scrutiny over Kidd's role in trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package led by Anthony Davis, whom Dallas later sent to the Washington Wizards. Minority owner Mark Cuban, on the Intersections podcast, pointed to tensions between Harrison, Kidd—who had prior ties to Davis—and Dončić's camp. Kidd, speaking to the Dallas Morning News, said he called Cuban Tuesday and urged focusing on the present and future, distancing himself from the owners' dispute. He previously stated he learned of the trade near completion and, post-trade, backed Harrison's vision at a 2021 press conference. Despite a 24-52 record and lost draft picks, prospect Cooper Flagg bolsters the appeal.
