Nico Harrison offers strong response to Knicks Jason Kidd pursuit

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is putting the kibosh on the Jason Kidd-Knicks rumblings once again.“Are there rumors out there about J-Kidd?” Harrison told reporters Wednesday after the Mavericks took Cooper Flagg with the first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.“I thought I shut those down.Yes, he will be the head coach next year.”Despite his current position as head coach of the Mavs, Kidd’s name has been in Knicks coaching rumors ever since New York fired Tom Thibodeau in early June. On June 9, The Post reported that there was mutual interest between Kidd and the Knicks for the opening. The Knicks requested permission from Dallas to speak with the Hall of Fame point guard on June 11.

The Mavericks declined. The speculation has persisted, nonetheless.NBA insider Scoop B.

Robinson reported Tuesday that Kidd views the Knicks’ opening as a “dream job.”On June 5, two days after the Knicks dismissed Thibodeau, ESPN.com reported that there had been major franchise decisions in Dallas that Kidd was “not on board with.” That included the firing of athletic trainer Casey Smith, who is now with the Knicks.Kidd would bring a winning pedigree and a wealth of basketball savvy to New York. He took the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season and was a 10-time All-Star in his 19-year playing career. The San Francisco native spent the last season of his playing career with the Knicks in 2012-13, teaming up with Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. In the past week, the focus of the Knicks’ coaching search has reportedly shifted to former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, former Kings coach Mike Brown and Pelicans assistant James Borrego.In the weeks prior, the Knicks had reportedly reached out to several teams to request interviews with their current coaches, including the Rockets’ Ime Udoka, the Bulls’ Billy Donovan, the Timberwolves’ Chris Finch and the Hawks’ Quin Snyder.All four requests were denied.Kidd has two years ...