Every year during the NBA postseason, it seems as if a head coach from a non-playoff team gets fired as opposed to getting the pink slip right at the conclusion of the regular season. We got a big surprise for this year on Tuesday when the Dallas Mavericks fired coach and Hall of Fame player Jason Kidd. Let’s break down his possible replacements with a look at the top candidates on Kalshi.
Use the Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS to start trading.
Next Dallas Mavericks head coach (via Kalshi)
- Sean Sweeney – 34 cents per share
- Billy Donovan – 24 cents per share
- Jon Scheyer – 13 cents per share
- Chris Quinn – 9 cents per share
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has made two bold decisions since taking over running the team from ex-owner Mark Cuban a couple of years ago. The first was signing off on the disastrous Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers in February 2025. It was so bad Dumont fired GM Nico Harrison eight months later. And Dumont had just given Kidd two recent contract extensions, one during the Mavericks’ surprise run to the 2024 NBA Finals and again before the 2024-25 season started when the Knicks were sniffing around asking for permission to speak with Kidd. Dallas said no.
Kidd has four years and more than $40 million remaining on his contract, so that must be nice. To be fair to Dumont, this was not his call but the decision of newly hired team president Masai Ujiri. Ujiri happened to keep coaches George Karl in Denver and Dwane Casey in Toronto when he began his previous two stints as the lead basketball executive for those franchises. Kidd had a 205-205 overall record with the Mavs, who cratered to 26-56 this season.
But this would be a coveted job playing in a big market and with a roster led by 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who was historically good as a 19-year-old. All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is expected to be ready to go in October after missing this season with a torn ACL. Dallas also has the No. 9 and No. 30 overall picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. That No. 9 selection, at least, could be dealt for a guy who could help the Mavs return to the playoffs as soon as next season.
Here’s a look at the current contenders for next Mavericks coach on Kalshi.
Sean Sweeney
The 41-year-old Sweeney, a defensive-minded guy, is considered a rising coaching star in the league despite never having been a head coach anywhere. He has ties to Dallas as an assistant there under Kidd from 2021-25 and is currently an associate head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. He helped turn Victor Wembanyama into the Defensive Player of the Year.
The thing is, the Mavericks might be too late in the coaching game to get Sweeney because the Bulls are thought to covet him and their job has been open for weeks. Sweeney has a similar chance at Kalshi to be the next Chicago coach with “Yes” trading at 28 cents, and the Magic also reportedly are interested in Sweeney. He’s given a 23% chance of landing there.
Billy Donovan
When I looked at next Magic coach via Kalshi on May 7, the former Bulls, Thunder and University of Florida two-time national championship coach Donovan was the leader with a 43% chance of landing in Orlando.
Now, Donovan has a 58% chance at ending up in Orlando. That another job opened may spur the Magic to move a bit more quickly now and try and lock something down with Donovan. He decided to leave Chicago because of a rebuilding situation, and Dallas is still in that mode. Orlando is more ready to win next season.
Get started at Kalshi with the latest Kalshi promo code.
Jon Scheyer
We likely see Scheyer on all open NBA head coaching lists for the next several years, but Mike Krzyzewski never left Durham for the Association, and Scheyer has given no indications that’s in his future plans. He runs the top program in college basketball with a nearly unlimited NIL budget for players. There is the obvious connection with Flagg from his one year at Duke, but otherwise there hasn’t been much buzz about this potentially happening.
Chris Quinn
The 42-year-old Quinn is the longest-tenured assistant coach on coach Erik Spoelstra’s staff with Miami, and few organizations are more respected for their culture and work ethic than the Heat. Quinn is considered a big part of that and has a great reputation among players. He’s also a former NBA player but has zero head coaching experience at any level.
Some other guys receiving trade action are current Sixers coach Nick Nurse (6% chance), ex-Lakers championship-winning coach Frank Vogel (6% chance), and former Knicks, Timberwolves and Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau (4%), also considered a candidate for the Orlando job.
