Charles Barkley couldn’t believe what he was reading.
Jason Kidd was fired by the Mavericks on Tuesday, and Barkley was in shock while learning of the news during the “NBA Tip-Off” pregame show on ESPN before the Knicks’ shocking 22-point comeback win against the Cavaliers.
“Oh my goodness,” Barkley said. “Jason Kidd just got fired. Wow. Man, that’s a shocker there. Breaking news, that just came up on my phone.”
The rest of the cast — Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal — were also surprised by the news, although perhaps they shouldn’t have been.
ESPN previously reported that Kidd had been angling to become the president of basketball operations with the Mavericks after Nico Harrison was fired last November.
It makes sense that the new top executive, Masai Ujiri, wouldn’t want a coach who was attempting to get his job less than a year ago.
“As we evaluate the future of our basketball program, we believe this is the right moment for a new direction for our team,” Ujiri said in a statement. “We have high expectations for this franchise and a responsibility to build a basketball organization capable of sustained championship contention.”
Kidd is owed $40 million on his contract after he was extended in October, and that large sum factored into Barkley’s reaction.
“I’m kind of surprised,” Barkley added. “I see $40 million, I want to go that direction. Jason is a heck of a coach. I think Masai, you know how much respect we have for him. I think he’s just amazing. I think he has someone in mind.”
With Kidd now a free agent, O’Neal added that he would like to see the ex-Nets great lead one of his former teams in the Orlando Magic.
It is unclear who the Mavericks are targeting as their next coach, but there are rumors that Jeff Van Gundy could be a candidate.
Dallas is in a decent spot for the future, considering they have Cooper Flagg as their cornerstone.
Obviously, they’ll have plenty of work to do to win back the trust of their fan base, as the trade of Luka Doncic roughly 18 months ago still haunts the fans.
