DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri says it was a difficult decision, and his alone, to remove Jason Kidd as the team's coach after five seasons.

A day after the Mavericks announced Kidd's departure, Ujiri said Wednesday he felt like the organization needed a clean slate.

“What he’s done for this organization we truly respect, so this was a very, very tough decision,” Ujiri said.

“I have to be accountable with a decision like this,” he said. “I also have to be very active in how I look at the organization from top to bottom.”

Ujiri, who took over as team president and governor two weeks ago, said the move had nothing to do with the trade of Luka Doncic and anyone connected to that deal in February 2025.

When asked about the future of Kidd at his introduction on May 5, Ujiri was noncommittal, saying he would talk to Kidd while evaluating all aspects of the team.

When the Mavericks announced Tuesday night that they were parting ways with Kidd, they described it then as a mutual decision.

Dallas made two deep playoff runs with Kidd and Doncic, reaching the NBA Finals in 2024, two years after a loss to Golden State in the Western Conference finals.

The Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 season, getting Anthony Davis as the centerpiece in a deal that backfired badly on the franchise. Dallas missed the playoffs that season and again in 2025-26, during which Davis was traded.

Kidd, the Hall of Fame point guard who led the franchise to its only championship as a player in 2011, finished with a .500 regular-season coaching record (205-205) with the Mavs.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba