Dallas are reportedly negotiating to bring Jeff Van Gundy back to the NBA under Jason Kidd’s coaching staff

It seems like Jeff Van Gundy has been offered an open door by the Mavericks to return to the NBA, but this time as an assistant coach under Jason Kidd.

This would mean that the current NBA analyst would need to leave his job in ESPN and head to Dallas, as veteran league insider Marc Stein believes the move is set to happen. The reporter was the first to report on the scene, explaining that both the Texan franchise and the trainer have shown mutual interest.

“I’m also told that [the Mavericks] plan to gauge Jeff Van Gundy’s interest in a potential return to the bench as an aide to Kidd after 15-plus years in broadcasting,” he told subscribers to his website.

After 15 years in broadcasting this would be quite the career change for Van Gundy, especially after he decided not to return to the coaching world after being fired by the Houston Rockets back in 2007. However, not too long ago he had expressed his desire to make his way back to the NBA benches one day.

The Dallas squad comes from one of the most disappointing campaigns in recent years, as they missed the playoffs even though they brought star Kyrie Irving to play alongside Luka Doncic in the last trade window.

Journalist Tim Cato recently wrote an article on how Jason Kidd isn’t the only one to blame for the Mavericks’ collapse this season, but assured that the Hall of Fame point guard should’ve shown more adaptability because “too often coached like this team was the same conference finalist from” the 2021/22 campaign.

Many NBA teams would love to have Van Gundy’s wisdom in their coaching staff

Just before the Rockets hired Stephen Silas back in 2020, the Houston franchise had been interviewing Van Gundy for the head coaching position, the same one he held for four years starting in 2003. Even though he’s been an analyst for so long, the trainer has been in many franchise’s radars in recent years.

Besides coaching the Rockets two decades ago, Van Gundy also spent seven campaigns leading the New York Knicks. He has reached a career record of 430–318 as an NBA head coach over 11 competitions.

Many athletes in the league have expressed how he’s been one of the best coaches they’ve ever had. Check out former player Tracy McGrady’s take on the matter:

Van Gundy was also given a chance to train outside of the NBA, as he was named coach of Team USA during the FIBA AmeriCup, later leading the squad to qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

The 61-year-old would probably have to take a salary cut if he decides to leave television and joing the Mavericks coaching staff, especially as his salary is rumored to be around $1 million per year.

Now that Kyrie Irving is allegedly trying to lure LeBron James to Dallas, it seems like this team has built a whole circus around roster speculation and the front office is well-known for making poor trading decisions.

This means Van Gundy would exchange a more comfortable life style, for stress under the Mavericks pressure to return to title-contention.