Jason Kidd didn’t sugarcoat it—he said on Saturday that losing Luka Doncic has been “weird” for the Dallas Mavericks. Even though Doncic hadn’t suited up since Christmas, he was still around until the Feb. 1 blockbuster trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Now, Dallas is adjusting to life without the guy who defined their franchise for years.

A lot of people were wondering if Jason Kidd had any real influence over the Mavericks trading Luka. Did he have a say? Is he even cool with it? According to Kidd, he didn’t hear about the trade until the “11th hour.” But he kept it blunt—his job isn’t making deals, it’s coaching whoever’s on the floor. And now it doesn’t matter.

The Dallas Mavericks played their first home game since trading Doncic, and head coach Jason Kidd addressed the inevitable question—was there a sense of relief to get it out of the way? “Yeah, I think, is it relief? It’s just part of the business. I’ve been in this business for a long time,” Kidd said. “I’ve had part of trades, stuff happens, and you’re judged on from the push forward. You move forward.” He further added.

He acknowledged Doncic‘s impact on the franchise but emphasized that change is inevitable. “You can stay static. We can all think about, you know, Luka, he did everything he was supposed to do for the city, for the team. But things change. Now we’re being judged on the change, and that’s for the team and from the coach. If you don’t like it, then you got to get out of the business. And that’s fair.”

In 2024, Luka Doncic took the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals since 2011, when fellow European star, Dirk Nowitzki, won the Mavs their first-ever championship. Trading a key piece like this while in the middle of championship-contending seasons may seem like a move backward. But Kidd still believes that their goal is the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

For Kidd, the focus remains on building a contender. “We’re trying to build something that is to hold that gold trophy, and it takes time. And change does happen in the middle of that. And that’s what’s taking place here.” Looks like Coach Kidd has moved on from the 5x All-Star and is focusing going on all in on a successful playoff run. To be honest, he really has no choice but to move on, since he admits he had little to no involvement in it. Besides, with a bona fide star like Anthony Davis on their team, the Mavericks will look to focus on the positives of this trade, rather than the negatives.

Reporters keep pressing the 51-year-old coach about his role in the deal that sent the Slovenian star to the Lakers, even as he tries to move forward. Meanwhile, security around the Mavericks arena has been buffed in their return to Dallas for the first time since trading Luka. TNT’s Allie LaForce said this during their 127-120 win at TD Garden against the Celtics, “One big concern, though, is just the safety of the players and the front office going back to Dallas. We hope fans make the wise decision and remember that this is a game and their lives are far more important.”

Well, the city of Dallas has not taken well to trading their franchise player. Mavs fans have erupted in rage ever since the trade went down, but Coach Kidd remains stoic about his thoughts on the deal.

Jason Kidd double downs about his involvement in the trade which sent Luka Doncic to Hollywood

J-Kidd has been around the NBA long enough to know how the business works. But that didn’t stop reporters from pressing him about Luka Doncic’s shocking trade to the Lakers. Again. Was he involved in the decision? Did he even see it coming? The questions seem to never end for the Mavs HC.

Sitting next to Kidd, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison had confirmed that the head coach wasn’t part of the decision-making process in Sunday’s joint press conference by the duo. Kidd backed it up without hesitation again after beating the Rockets today. “I’m an employee of the Mavs,” he said when asked if he was fine being kept in the dark. “I think I’ve always said this before. I am the coach. I coach the players that are here. We made a trade, we got to push forward. And that’s what we’re doing.”

That’s the reality for coaches. They don’t get a say in every move. Kidd made that clear when asked if he was comfortable not having control. “Trades happen in this game, coaches change, teams get sold. A lot of things that happen, that are out of our control. But you got to continue doing your job.”

Now, Kidd has a new challenge—figuring out how to make it work with Anthony Davis, a player he knows well from their time in L.A. On paper, Dallas is still in the fight. But let’s be real—would Doncic still be a Maverick if Kidd had a say in the trade?