Why Harrison and Kidd?
Tim Cato, Mavericks beat writer: Dallas hired Harrison, who's expected to work in conjunction with Michael Finley to lead the team's front office, due to the strong relationship ties he has with players throughout the league due to his former role at Nike.
The team has a long history of free agency failures, something that Harrison is an obvious candidate to help with in the coming offseasons.
Kidd, who was going to be a serious candidate regardless of Harrison's hiring, may have been shortlisted for the vacancy due to the two's strong relationship.
Initial reactions
David Aldridge, senior NBA columnist: Harrison is well worth the outside-the-box thinking for a prominent front office position. His time at Nike has made him a major behind-the-scenes player for years, with direct access to players along with a reputation for not betraying confidences that makes him trustworthy to the biggest movers and shakers.
Evaluating players in the draft, staying aligned with your head coach, making business decisions about who to pay, and how much — those are different skill sets. Nobody's ever mad at the Nike guy. This is going to be different and put new strains on those relationships. But Harrison is great with people.
As for Kidd, it's not about Xs and Os. He can do that. He's smart and will get on the same page with Luka Doncic.
But for an organization that has been reeling for years since the initial Sports Illustrated story in 2018 about the toxic work environment inside the building for multiple female employees — followed by additional reports of a high-ranking executive being accused of sexual assault in 2020, leading to his dismissal earlier this year — hiring Kidd, with his own sordid history of domestic abuse, seems, at the very, very least, to be really tone-deaf.
There are a lot of supremely qualified people out there who can coach Doncic — including Jamahl Mosely, the Mavs' assistant coach. Kidd's qualified, too, but the Mavericks don't have the luxury to not understand how this is going to come across to a great many people — badly.
What are their priorities and biggest offseason challenges?
Cato: The roster around Doncic isn't good enough, and the biggest question is whether the team will actively attempt to trade Kristaps Porzingis this summer and next season.
That's the main question for Harrison and the team's front office, which will still report directly to Mark Cuban, always the team's ultimate decision-maker.
As for Kidd, departing head coach Carlisle left with a sour relationship with Doncic. It's important for Kidd to make sure their partnership starts off on a good note.
(Photo: Ron Hoskins / NBAE via Getty Images)
The Link LonkJune 26, 2021 at 05:41AM
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Mavericks tab Jason Kidd as head coach, Nike exec Nico Harrison as GM: Sources - The Athletic
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