Jason Kidd is a coaching free agent after getting axed by the Dallas Mavericks. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is confident that the Portland Trail Blazers will give the player-turned-coach a look.
Being one of the few teams on the hunt for a new head coach, the Blazers have been on the quiet side with their search. Maybe they were waiting for a moment like this.
Draymond Green Explains Why Jason Kidd Makes Sense For The Blazers
GettyDALLAS, TEXAS – JANUARY 28: Head coach Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks watches play during the first quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Center on January 28, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
“Jason Kidd from Oakland. Damian Lillard is also from Oakland. Point guard. You look at Scoot Henderson, a young guard. How can Jason Kidd help him? So when you take a step back and you look at those jobs, I definitely can see Jason Kidd taking the Trail Blazers job,” Green explained on his podcast.
“…But when I look at the Trail Blazers roster, that looks like the team that Jason Kidd will feel most confident on this list and going into next year saying, ‘We got a chance to compete.'”
The Reason For Pushback
GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 01: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center on April 01, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Green feels good about his prediction, but he’s not overlooking the reason there might be pushback from both sides.
For the Blazers, they’ve been in cost-cutting mode. New ownership is making massive changes, and they’ve struggled to meet the asking price of last year’s interim head coach, Tiago Splitter.
If they can’t satisfy Splitter’s demands (first-time head coach), how could they satisfy Kidd’s?
The Mavericks will have to make payments of over $40 million over the next four years to Kidd as long as he’s not coaching. It’s not unusual for coaches to brush off the remaining salary on their old contracts in order to take a new job, but the new franchise has to make it worth it.
“Quite honestly, you’re making $10 million to do nothing and this coach trying to pay a million or two million dollars. I think that will run Jason Kidd the opposite way,” Green said regarding the Blazers.
The money matters, and so does the situation. The Blazers ended up being better than anybody thought in 2025-2026. They didn’t even have the longtime All-Star, Damian Lillard, on the floor. Portland is an attractive job, but so is Orlando.
The Magic parted ways with Jamahl Mosley after dropping out in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The Magic took the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons to Game 7. Their standing in eighth place was a disappointment compared to early expectations.
Kidd might be a coach they call, but Green is seemingly interested in a potential Kidd-Blazers pairing.