Mavs 'Gauged Interest' in Hiring Jeff Van Gundy to Jason Kidd's Staff

Jeff Van Gundy, recently laid off by ESPN, was a candidate to join the Dallas Mavericks.

The Dallas Mavericks are searching far and wide to help fill out the rest of Jason Kidd's coaching staff.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks were interested in hiring former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy to their coaching staff.

"The Mavericks, as I reported they would on June 5, indeed gauged Jeff Van Gundy's interest in a return to coaching as a member of Jason Kidd’s staff with a formal interview after Van Gundy finished his NBA Finals broadcasting duties," Stein wrote.

Van Gundy, 61, was among the many high-profile firings ESPN made on June 30, giving him an opportunity to explore other jobs in either the broadcast booth or the sidelines.

Van Gundy hasn't been in coaching since 2007, when he coached the Rockets. However, there have been a few attempts to woo him back into coaching. Now that he is no longer tied to ESPN, perhaps the NBA could bring him back.

Dallas ultimately decided not to hire Van Gundy in favor of former Utah Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen, former Phoenix Suns assistant Bryan Gates and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Josh Broghamer.

However, with his name out there, it may propel one of the other 29 teams to make the phone call to Van Gundy's line.

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