He was selected with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 1980 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He spent his only NBA season (1980–81) split between the Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks. The Cavs traded Kinch, along with a 1985 first-round draft choice, to the Mavericks in exchange for Geoff Huston and a 1983 third-round draft choice on February 7, 1981. Kinch averaged 2.9 points per game in his only season in the NBA.