Are You Kidding Me? Kidd To Dallas In Blockbuster Deal

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Main

????????????????? Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd ?

For the doubters of the rumor that Jason Kidd would get traded before the NBA trade deadline, it has finally happened; according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, league sources close to Kidd’s situation have verified that an agreement in principle was reached on Wednesday, sending Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks.

Although Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hemmed and hawed for weeks, it looks like the Mavericks have mortgaged some of the team’s future for the quest for a championship in the short term.? The agreement would send five players, including point guard Devin Harris, and 1st-round picks in 2008 and 2010 to the New Jersey Nets for Kidd.? There’s more – as part of the trade, the Mavericks would send Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George, DeSagna Diop, Maurice Ager and $3 million to the Nets; in addition to Kidd, New Jersey would send Malik Allen to Dallas.? In a separate deal, New Jersey sends Antoine Wright to the Mavericks for a future 2nd-round pick and possibly other considerations.

What does New Jersey get from this big deal?? They get the 3 elements that he wanted from Kidd: a good young player in Harris, 2 expiring contracts (Diop and George) and some draft picks.? You can also expect the Nets to buy out Stackhouse’s contract; Stackhouse, once his contract is bought out, can immediately become a free agent.? But he would have to wait 30 days to re-sign with Dallas – which a league source expects Stackhouse to do.

The Nets also clear up lots of salary cap space for next season; it should allow them to re-sign forward Nenad Krstic and rebuild the team.? And don’t discount the possibility of New Jersey possibly attempt to bring Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O’Neal into the fold.? Discussions are still ongoing as a source states that the Nets have went so far as to talk to O’Neal’s doctors to check on the health of his troubled knee.?

Dallas, in obtaining Kidd, believe they got the toughness and leadership that they have been lacking and also think that Kidd transforms them into instant contenders for the title.? From what I have seen of all of this, I would have to say that New Jersey got the better end of the deal; if the Nets somehow obtain O’Neal later on, then the Nets can be a force in the Eastern Conference as soon as 2009.

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