Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is also close to hiring a new general manager, who has signed off on the Kidd candidacy, sources said.
Harrison, who has been pursued by other teams for front-office roles, has well-established connections with players throughout the NBA stemming from his two decades with Nike.
Kidd, who had two stints with the Mavericks during his playing career and starred on the 2010-11 championship team, has had the support of Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki and others who have been advising Cuban.
“My hope is that Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs because he and Luka have so many things in common as players,” Carlisle told ESPN on Thursday after agreeing to become the Indiana Pacers’ head coach.
Kidd, who has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, has a 9-15 career playoff record, advancing to the second round in his lone season with the Nets.
He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in December 1996 and returned to Dallas in February 2008 after stints with the Suns and then New Jersey Nets.
Finley, a two-time All-Star for the Mavs who originally arrived in Dallas as part of the 1996 Kidd trade, has been an executive with the franchise for the past seven seasons, serving as vice president of basketball operations the last three.