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Mavericks part ways with Jason Kidd after 5 seasons

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3 months ago

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The Dallas Mavericks and Jason Kidd are parting ways, the team announced Tuesday, an abrupt ending to the franchise icon’s five-year run as head coach.

Kidd was hired in 2021 to lead a team with Luka Dončić as its centerpiece. The Mavericks went 52-30 games in Kidd’s first season in charge and made a surprise run to the Western Conference finals. Two years later, the Mavericks won the Western Conference and reached the NBA Finals, where they lost a six-game series to the Boston Celtics.

But the situation in Dallas deteriorated quickly after the Mavericks traded Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025, only eight months removed from the team’s finals run.

Former general manager Nico Harrison was the driving force behind the trade, but prominent voices inside the Mavericks organization — namely, minority owner Mark Cuban — alleged that Kidd influenced the trade more than he said publicly.

“That doesn’t justify it for our coach and our general manager to stand up and trade our best player,” Cuban said on the “Intersections” podcast in April.

Days later, Kidd said he was “not part of the process” and that he was made aware the deal was happening only “at the 11th hour.”

The Mavericks on Tuesday also parted ways with Matt Riccardi, who was the team’s assistant general manager when it made the Dončić trade and was promoted to co-interim general manager alongside Michael Finley upon Harrison’s firing in November.

Injuries ruined any chance the Mavericks had of succeeding after they traded Dončic. Anthony Davis, whom Kidd coached on the Lakers, suffered a left adductor strain in his first game with the Mavericks on Feb. 8, 2025. Weeks later, star guard Kyrie Irving tore the ACL in his left knee. Davis and Irving played a total of 25 minutes together in Dallas before Davis was traded to the Washington Wizards in February.

The Mavericks lost 30 of 37 games to close the regular season. On April 12, following Dallas’ regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls, Kidd said it was difficult to evaluate the Mavericks’ last two seasons because of their litany of injury issues.

“We have to be healthy at some point,” Kidd said. “We want that to be next season. If that is, we can be judged.”

Per league sources, Kidd had interest in moving into a front office role with the Mavericks. The Athletic was first to report in February that was unlikely to happen.

In May, the Mavericks made a splash by hiring championship-winning executive Masai Ujiri as president and alternate governor. Ujiri was noncommittal about Kidd’s future with the Mavericks when asked May 5 if Kidd would be back for a sixth season as coach.

“He’s done a great job, but we are going to look at this thing from head to toe,” Ujiri said then.

In the Mavericks’ news release Tuesday, Ujiri said he believed “this is the right moment for a new direction for our team.”

“We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention,” Ujiri said. “We will conduct a thorough, disciplined search for our next head coach and continue to evaluate our entire basketball operations staff to ensure we compete at the standard Mavs fans expect and deserve.”

Last summer, the New York Knicks had interest in hiring Kidd as coach. The Mavericks declined to let Kidd interview for the job, however, and awarded him a contract extension in October. Because of the number of years and money remaining on Kidd’s deal — four years and $40 million, league sources said — there was skepticism in some corners of the NBA that the Mavericks would part ways with him now. But sources with knowledge of governor Patrick Dumont’s thinking insisted all along that Ujiri would have full control to shape the Mavericks organization as he saw fit, which Tuesday’s news made apparent.

Kidd forged strong relationships with both of the Mavericks’ stars, forward Cooper Flagg and Irving, in his time in Dallas. While Flagg, 19, just completed his rookie season and has three years remaining on his current contract, Irving has only one more year left on his deal before he can exercise a player option in summer 2027.

In his stops with the Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors, Ujiri chose to hang on to the coaches he inherited — George Karl and Dwane Casey — for multiple seasons. Yet in this instance, Ujiri didn’t push to retain Kidd.

The Mavericks must now find a coach as they continue building around Flagg. Kidd’s time in Dallas is over 15 months after the Mavericks traded Dončić, the superstar Kidd was hired to work with.

Kidd finishes his tenure as Mavericks coach with a 205-205 record.

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How to watch Orioles vs. Rangers: TV channel and streaming options for August 8

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2 minutes ago

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August 8, 2026

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The Texas Rangers take a three-game winning streak into a home matchup versus the Baltimore Orioles at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday. Jacob deGrom (7-7, 3.96 ERA) will start for the Rangers, who are 58-58 this season and second in the AL West. Kyle Bradish (7-10, 3.79 ERA) is expected to start for the Orioles, who are 56-60 and fourth in the AL East.

How to watch Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers

Orioles vs. Rangers odds

  • Favorite Moneyline: Rangers -154
  • Underdog Moneyline: Orioles +125
  • Total: 7.5
  • Total Over Odds: +100
  • Total Under Odds: -120

Injury reports

Rangers

Kyle Higashioka: 10 Day IL (Flexor tendon), Josh Jung: 10 Day IL (Calf), Jose Corniell: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Jack Leiter: 15 Day IL (Ankle), Jakob Junis: 15 Day IL (Groin), Danny Jansen: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Robert Garcia: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jalen Beeks: 60 Day IL (Back), Michael Helman: 60 Day IL (Hand), Carter Baumler: 60 Day IL (Ribs)

Orioles

Samuel Basallo: 10 Day IL (Shoulder), Blaze Alexander: 10 Day IL (Hand), Zach Eflin: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Felix Bautista: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Keegan Akin: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Chris Bassitt: 60 Day IL (Back), Ryan Helsley: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ryan Mountcastle: 60 Day IL (Foot), Jordan Westburg: 60 Day IL (Ucl), Colin Selby: 60 Day IL (Shoulder)

Stats to know

  • Ezequiel Duran is hitting for a .274 BA, .328 OBP and .457 SLG with a 23.4% strikeout rate and a 7.1% walk rate. His OPS is .785 and he has scored 51 runs. In 406 plate appearances, he has hit 13 home runs and driven in 63 runs. Duran has been crafty on the base paths, recording nine steals on 11 attempts.
  • In 465 plate appearances, Brandon Nimmo has hit 12 long balls, tallied 43 RBIs and scored 48 runs. He is batting .274/.342/.444 and has posted a 21.3% strikeout rate and an 8.2% walk rate. Nimmo has recorded six steals on seven attempts.
  • Pete Alonso has hit 23 home runs this season. He has also tallied 71 RBIs (14th in MLB) and has scored 68 runs. In 502 plate appearances, he has recorded a .247 BA, .341 OBP and .454 SLG with an 11.4% walk rate and a 24.9% strikeout rate.
  • In 522 plate appearances, Gunnar Henderson has hit 18 long balls, tallied 47 RBIs and scored 65 runs. He is batting .217/.297/.391 and has posted a 22.8% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate. Henderson has recorded eight steals on 12 attempts.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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How to watch Storm vs. Fire: TV channel and streaming options for August 8

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8 minutes ago

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August 8, 2026

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Dominique Malonga leads the Seattle Storm (6-27) into a matchup against the Portland Fire (12-19) after putting up 31 points in a 92-86 loss to the Liberty. The game is on Saturday, August 8, 2026, tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV, FOX12+, CW Seattle, KOMO 4, and Amazon Prime Video.

How to watch Seattle Storm vs. Portland Fire

Seattle vs. Portland odds

  • Spread: Seattle -1.5 (-115), Portland +1.5 (-105)
  • Favorite Moneyline: Seattle -120
  • Underdog Moneyline: Portland +100
  • Total: 179.5
  • Total Over Odds: -110
  • Total Under Odds: -110

Injury reports

Storm

Katie Lou Samuelson: Questionable (Knee)

Fire

Sania Feagin: Out For Season (Knee),

Bridget Carleton: Probable (Foot),

Sarah Ashlee Barker: Out For Season (Knee),

Teja Oblak: Probable (Knee)

Stats to know

  • The 82.7 points per game the Storm record are 9.1 fewer points than the Fire give up (91.8).
  • Portland’s 86.5 points per game are just 1.8 fewer points than the 88.3 Seattle allows.
  • Flau’jae Johnson averages 13.9 points, 4.9 boards and 2.9 assists per contest, while shooting 39.2% from the field and 26.8% from downtown with 1.2 made treys per game.
  • Bridget Carleton puts up 14.3 points, 2.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Julio Aguilar, Ethan Miller, Steph Chambers / Getty Images

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How to watch Rays vs. Mariners: TV channel and streaming options for August 8

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14 minutes ago

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August 8, 2026

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The Tampa Bay Rays carry a four-game win streak into a home matchup versus the Seattle Mariners, at 9:50 p.m. ET on Saturday. George Kirby (8-9, 3.76 ERA) will start for the Mariners, who are 56-61 this season and third in the AL West. Griffin Jax (6-9, 3.63 ERA) is expected to start for the Rays, who are 69-46 and first in the AL East.

How to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs. Seattle Mariners

Rays vs. Mariners odds

  • Favorite Moneyline: Mariners -118
  • Underdog Moneyline: Rays -102
  • Total: 7
  • Total Over Odds: -105
  • Total Under Odds: -115

Injury reports

Mariners

Luke Raley: 10 Day IL (Elbow), J.P. Crawford: 10 Day IL (Wrist), Matt Brash: 15 Day IL (Lat), Cole Wilcox: 15 Day IL (Oblique), Cooper Criswell: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Will Wilson: 60 Day IL (Thumb), Logan Evans: 60 Day IL (Arm), Carlos Vargas: 60 Day IL (Lat)

Rays

Ben Williamson: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Cole Sulser: 15 Day IL (Back), Shane McClanahan: 15 Day IL (Back), Jake Fraley: 60 Day IL (Groin), Manuel Rodriguez: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ryan Pepiot: 60 Day IL (Hip), Gavin Lux: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jon Heasley: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Edwin Uceta: 60 Day IL (Shoulder)

Stats to know

  • Randy Arozarena is hitting for a .282 BA, .376 OBP and .451 SLG with a 20.8% strikeout rate and a 9.7% walk rate. His OPS is .827 and he has scored 73 runs. In 466 plate appearances, he has hit 14 home runs and driven in 49 runs. Arozarena has been crafty on the base paths, recording 20 steals on 26 attempts.
  • In 458 plate appearances, Julio Rodriguez is hitting .260/.323/.429 with a .752 OPS and 15 steals on 18 attempts. He has hit 18 long balls, driven in 51 runs and scored 54 times.
  • Junior Caminero is hitting for a .283 BA, .375 OBP and .556 SLG with an 18.1% strikeout rate and a 12.5% walk rate. His OPS is .931, which ranks 5th in MLB, and he has scored 70 runs. In 502 plate appearances, he has hit 33 home runs (2nd in MLB) and driven in 71 runs (14th in MLB).
  • In 485 plate appearances, Yandy Diaz has slashed .296/.369/.452 this season. He has hit 15 long balls and driven in 64 runs with a strikeout rate of 14.8% and a walk rate of 8.9%. and has scored 61 runs.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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