Kidd to Dallas imminent

[Dirk Diggler]

Marc Stein
Espn.com



Sources told ESPN.com that talks between the Mavericks and Nets, which had seemingly stalled, grew serious after the teams played Sunday night in New Jersey and have moved them to the brink of completing the NBA's third blockbuster deal of the month.

Although sources say that the teams are still sorting out final details, this deal was described as "imminent" by one source close to the process after negotiations moved to an advanced stage Tuesday night. The proposed swap -- salvaged from talks of a three-way trade with Portland that developed and fizzled quickly two weeks ago -- would require Dallas to send 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse, the expiring contracts of center DeSegana Diop and swingman Devean George and another player such as guard Maurice Ager to New Jersey for Kidd and possibly veteran guard Darrell Armstrong. It's believed that Dallas would also send New Jersey cash and future draft considerations.

Dallas has been widely considered the most likely winner of the Kidd trade sweepstakes, despite the repeated attempts of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to publicly dismiss the idea of parting with multiple regulars for Kidd. Cuban told several New York-based reporters Sunday before New Jersey beat Dallas that a deal for All-Star floor leader would severely weaken his roster.

[EricaLubarsky]

we like our team!

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

Harris George Stackhouse and Diop? Wow that's alot.

Make it JET instead of Harris and I like that deal awhole lot better.

[MavsX]

holy jesus, that is a massive trade!

[Flacolaco]

W

T

F

my panties will be officially in a huge wad if we do that.

[MavsX]

Originally Posted by MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs

Harris George Stackhouse and Diop? Wow that's alot.

Make it JET instead of Harris and I like that deal awhole lot better.

yeah bro, i agree with you. i guess no one wants terry.

[jthig32]

I just don't get it.

[MavsX]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3244102

Sources: Talks between Mavs, Nets heat up

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: February 13, 2008, 1:34 PM ET

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Jason Kidd has quietly -- and not so quietly -- hoped for a trade to the Dallas Mavericks all season.

Jason Kidd
Kidd

Point Guard
New Jersey Nets

Profile
2008 Season Stats GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
51 11.3 8.1 10.4 .366 .820

And now Kidd has stronger-than-ever hope that the wish will be granted, according to NBA front-office sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that talks between the Mavericks and Nets, which had seemingly stalled, grew serious after the teams played Sunday night in New Jersey and have moved them to the brink of completing the NBA's third blockbuster deal of the month.

Although sources say that the teams are still sorting out final details, this deal was described as "imminent" by one source close to the process after negotiations moved to an advanced stage Tuesday night. The proposed swap -- salvaged from talks of a three-way trade with Portland that developed and fizzled quickly two weeks ago -- would require Dallas to send 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse, the expiring contracts of center DeSegana Diop and swingman Devean George and another player such as guard Maurice Ager to New Jersey for Kidd and possibly veteran guard Darrell Armstrong. It's believed that Dallas would also send New Jersey cash and future draft considerations.

Dallas has been widely considered the most likely winner of the Kidd trade sweepstakes, despite the repeated attempts of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to publicly dismiss the idea of parting with multiple regulars for Kidd. Cuban told several New York-based reporters Sunday before New Jersey beat Dallas that a deal for All-Star floor leader would severely weaken his roster.

"For us to make the numbers work in a deal like that, we'd have to trade away half the team," Cuban said. "We're not doing that, so it just doesn't work. And we like our team. We've got a lot of room for improvement and we hope to get better. But right now, I just don't see anything happening.

Yet sources close to the process insist that the talks have heated up in the past 24 hours, with the Mavs still tantalized by the prospect of bringing Kidd back more than a decade after the pre-Cuban regime drafted him out of Cal, watched him share rookie of the year honors with Grant Hill in 1994-95 and then traded him to Phoenix on the day after Christmas in 1996.

The Mavs' biggest reservation, though, isn't sacrificing Harris. Sources maintain that Dallas, while reluctant to part with one of Cuban's favorite players and its point guard of the future after signing Harris to a contract extension over the summer, has been resigned for some time to losing Harris if it meant getting Kidd back.

The greater hesitation, sources said, is that they would also have to part with Stackhouse and Diop, weakening Dallas' depth. Although it's believed that Stackhouse is likely to be bought out and released by the Nets, which would enable Dallas to re-sign him if he sits out for 30 days, there's no guarantee they can convince Stackhouse to resist the interest of other teams to return once he becomes a free agent. Losing Diop, meanwhile, is an even bigger blow, as that would leave the undependable Erick Dampier as the Mavericks' only veteran center at a time when potential playoff foes like the Los Angeles Lakers (Pau Gasol) and Phoenix Suns (Shaquille O'Neal) are getting bigger.

But Dallas appears more motivated than ever in spite of those concerns and the current lack of a third team to join in and broaden the trade, believing that Kidd -- although he turns 35 in March and is threatening to establish a new career low with his 36.7 percent shooting from the field -- is still a prime source of leadership and mental toughness.

Kidd displayed those qualities in abundance during a strong summer with Team USA and those areas are well-chronicled weak spots for the Mavs, who followed up a historic collapse to Miami in the 2006 NBA Finals with a first-round flameout against Golden State after winning 67 games last season. A point guard of Kidd's caliber, influence and experience would undoubtedly please the demanding Avery Johnson, reinvigorate a team that has been lacking energy and confidence and supply Dallas' coach with a dangerous four-man core of Kidd, Josh Howard, Jason Terry and reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki is the player Kidd has had in mind when privately telling associates in recent months that he hoped to go back to Dallas. Although his desire to leave New Jersey had been suspected all season, Kidd didn't go public with that wish until late January, when he told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that it's time for him and New Jersey "all to move on" in separate directions.

Kidd was acquired by the Nets in the 2001 offseason in a trade with Phoenix featuring Stephon Marbury and sparked New Jersey to the most successful period in the team's NBA history, starting with back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. After giving strong consideration to signing with San Antonio in the summer of 2003, Kidd elected to stay with the Nets. During the past four-plus seasons, however, New Jersey has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs, despite the 2004 arrival of Vince Carter and Kidd's successful recovery from microfracture knee surgery.

The Nets were prepared to deal Kidd to the Lakers at the trade deadline last season but pulled out of the deal when the Lakers refused to part with center Andrew Bynum, who has since blossomed. This deal would give them a highly rated point guard who's 10 years younger than Kidd and three cap-friendly contracts if the Mavericks indeed include Ager.

The Nets could come away with even more salary-cap relief if the Mavericks built their trade package around Harris and a signed-and-traded Keith Van Horn. Although he has been out of the game since the end of the 2005-06 season, Van Horn hasn't filed official retirement papers with the league, allowing Dallas to retain his rights. And because Van Horn's final NBA salary was nearly $16 million, Dallas can re-sign him for a substantial amount and thus create a lucrative expiring contract for the Nets, because only the first year of a contract must be guaranteed in a sign-and-trade arrangement.

Cuban, though, told ESPN.com last week that "we won't use [Van Horn] in any deal for anyone." That's because Kidd would cost the Mavericks nearly $40 million next season, thanks to the luxury tax, if they sent only Harris, Van Horn and salary-cap filler to the Nets.

[Usually Lurkin]

I understand that Kidd did well that night, but how does our team sucking without Harris make Harris more expendable?

and Diop? Has Diop's lack of playing time been more of an experiment by Avery to see if we can get along with only 1 center on the roster?

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

I seriously had a feeling when the Mavs were playing the Nets that they were talking that day and that something was going to happen soon. But I thought to myself "but if the Nets blow out the Mavs maybe NJ will change their mind and want to keep Kidd."

Good to know we're gutting our team for a man who has not one but TWO Championship runner ups. Maybe we can be Championship runner ups yet again!

[jleefilled]

not sure if this puts the Mavs over the top, or if it even makes them any better, but it sure makes things more interesting

[Usually Lurkin]

Originally Posted by MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs

I seriously had a feeling when the Mavs were playing the Nets that they were talking that day and that something was going to happen soon. But I thought to myself "but if the Nets blow out the Mavs maybe NJ will change their mind and want to keep Kidd."

no, it just upped their demand. And Terry did a good job of lowering his value well below the pricepoint

[harsh euro barge]

Terrible trade...please don't do this Cuban

[MavsX]

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

I understand that Kidd did well that night, but how does our team sucking without Harris make Harris more expendable?

and Diop? Has Diop's lack of playing time been more of an experiment by Avery to see if we can get along with only 1 center on the roster?

maybe thats the whole point. They would try it out, and see what it would be like with diop not even on the roster..like if we traded him!

[Usually Lurkin]

If Terry can learn to shoot without dribbling around for 10 seconds, then I start to love this trade.

[EricaLubarsky]

we get rid of a lot of dead weight, which is good, but unless we get another center we are really screwed

Dampier
Dirk/Bass
Howard
Jones/Terry/Hassell
Kidd/Terry

[Darke]

The price is too high (and that is if we get Stack back - if not, wow, the bench is cleared..)

[MavsX]

i kinda am worried that this trade is too much for jason kidd. I'd love to have kidd..but giving up harris AND diop..seems like a lot...plus giving up the other players....

lets just wait and see i guess.

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

Isn't it also ironic that Kidd started his career as a Mav but bitched and moan until he was traded and now the same thing is happening to get him back at the end of his career?

[Usually Lurkin]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

we get rid of a lot of dead weight, which is good, but unless we get another center we are really screwed

Dampier
Dirk/Bass
Howard
Jones/Terry/Hassell
Kidd/Terry

Fazekas doing well enough to move up? for the spot minutes leftover after Damp and small ball?

[Underdog]

Has anyone considered that trade rumors have affected some of the players' abilities lately?

They might not know more than we do, but they know whose names are being thrown around before the deadline... What motivation is there to win if you won't be with the team in a month? I know every player in the NBA says they're "here to win one game at a time and whatever happens, happens", but we all know that's a crock...

[Texas Hokie]

Assuming this is going to happen ... will Avery be flexible enough to maximize Kidd's value? In Avery's plodding half-court system a point guard of Kidd's type (who can't shoot) is not going to be hugely successful (I can guarantee Kidd's assist numbers would significantly drop unless our style changes). If we are going to do the deal, and milk Kidd for all he'd worth in the next few years, they are going to HAVE to run more. Will Avery let them?

By the way, if we really wanted to blow it up (not saying I do), Josh for Marion makes more sense with Kidd on board (Marion being a much better finisher, which is what Kidd has in NJ (and Nash in Phoenix for that matter).

[joemoeschmoe]

Wow, that trade seems horrible for Dallas. I would love to have Kidd back here, but not at that cost.

I'd be happy to see Stack go because he's a pile of poop 85% of the time.

Losing Devin hurts. He's probably the 2nd best defensive player on the team, he's just starting to come into his own, and is largely responsible for our good matchup verse the Spurs. However, I recognize that to get Kidd, Devin will have to be sent away.

Diop and "Dallas would also send New Jersey cash and future draft considerations" leads me to believe that New Jersey is asking for way too much. These three things are real kickers. Without them, I think the deal is reasonable, but with them (especially Diop), this deal sucks. I'm probably a bigger fan of Diop than most people (I think he's the best defensive player on the team and without him I think it will be exceedingly difficult to beat the Suns or the Warriors).

I hope this trade doesn't happen like this.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

W

T

F

my panties will be officially in a huge wad if we do that.

Aw I thought we didn't believe in rumors.

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

we get rid of a lot of dead weight, which is good, but unless we get another center we are really screwed

Dampier
Dirk/Bass
Howard
Jones/Terry/Hassell
Kidd/Terry

Any chance the Faz could be a backup C?

I think we should keep George and use a smaller KVH contract instead.

[TripleDipping]

Marc Stein has been hawking this deal for weeks, if not months. I'll believe it when I see it.

I thought our weakness is at the 2 guard? How would getting two pg's and sending away an sg help?

[DevinHarriswillstart]

There is nothing new here. Stein has sources yet Cuban has been quoted denying trading Harris or using KVH. Who do you believe, Stein or Cuban?

[fluid.forty.one]

I've learned not to trust "sources". We'll see what happens.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

If Terry can learn to shoot without dribbling around for 10 seconds, then I start to love this trade.

Terry would, I assume go to the shooting guard position where he'd get a lot of open shots which hopefully improves his %s because he can be a deadly shooter.

Anyone know about Diop? Does he become an unrestricted?

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

There is nothing new here. Stein has sources yet Cuban has been quoted denying trading Harris or using KVH. Who do you believe, Stein or Cuban?

I'll believe it when DHWS starts posting on the nets board :b

[craggmac]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I now give you... The NEW JERSEY MAVERICKS!!

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

I'll believe it when DHWS starts posting on the nets board :b

No kidding, except I'd have to start my own boards since noone cares about them. Did you see what happened at their arena last night? There were so few people that the PA told everyone to come to the lower arena. That was the most embarassing thing I've ever seen. That is where the Mavs will be in two years with no Harris and Kid retired if this happened.

[MFFL]

The only way I would trade Harris to the Nets is if we got BOTH Kidd and Carter.

New Jersey Nets
Incoming Players
Devin Harris
Salary: $3,995,003 Years Remaining: 6
PTS: 14.4 REB: 2.3 AST: 5.3 PER: 18.66
Trenton Hassell
Salary: $4,350,000 Years Remaining: 3
PTS: 2.1 REB: 1.2 AST: 0.7 PER: 5.11
Maurice Ager
Salary: $974,400 Years Remaining: 2
PTS: 1.3 REB: 0.3 AST: 0.3 PER: -4.33
Jerry Stackhouse
Salary: $6,750,000 Years Remaining: 3
PTS: 9.8 REB: 2.4 AST: 2.5 PER: 12.86
Devean George
Salary: $2,369,111 Years Remaining: 1
PTS: 3.8 REB: 2.5 AST: 0.5 PER: 10.61
Jason Terry
Salary: $8,898,000 Years Remaining: 4
PTS: 14.8 REB: 2.5 AST: 3.3 PER: 17.39

Dallas Mavericks
Incoming Players
Vince Carter
Salary: $13,325,000 Years Remaining: 5
PTS: 20.7 REB: 5.6 AST: 5.1 PER: 18.00
Jason Kidd
Salary: $19,728,000 Years Remaining: 2
PTS: 11.3 REB: 8.1 AST: 10.4 PER: 16.07

We'd need to use our trade exception to get Armstrong but that's doable

That would make our lineup
Kidd/Armstrong
Carter/Jones
Howard/?
Dirk/Bass
Damp/Diop

[Tokey41]

That's horrible, we need both our centers (assuming Avery starts playing Diop more like last season), especially with Damp's injury prone history.

If there were any way to replace Diop with someone else that trade would look a little more attractive (if we could get Stackhouse back after the 30 days). Like Hassell? That way we're only really giving up Harris, George, Hassell, with Stack temporarily.

[DirkFTW]

Then we'd definitely have to keep Bass and have him elbow Carter in the head before every game.

[Bookit]

Put me in the "I'll believe it when I see it camp". They wouldn't get rid of Harris would they? If they do then Cuban's philosophy is clear. Try to win it now and then go low in the lottery and get better players soon after.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by MFFL

The only way I would trade Harris to the Nets is if we got BOTH Kidd and Carter.

New Jersey Nets
Incoming Players
Devin Harris
Salary: $3,995,003 Years Remaining: 6
PTS: 14.4 REB: 2.3 AST: 5.3 PER: 18.66
Trenton Hassell
Salary: $4,350,000 Years Remaining: 3
PTS: 2.1 REB: 1.2 AST: 0.7 PER: 5.11
Maurice Ager
Salary: $974,400 Years Remaining: 2
PTS: 1.3 REB: 0.3 AST: 0.3 PER: -4.33
Jerry Stackhouse
Salary: $6,750,000 Years Remaining: 3
PTS: 9.8 REB: 2.4 AST: 2.5 PER: 12.86
Devean George
Salary: $2,369,111 Years Remaining: 1
PTS: 3.8 REB: 2.5 AST: 0.5 PER: 10.61
Jason Terry
Salary: $8,898,000 Years Remaining: 4
PTS: 14.8 REB: 2.5 AST: 3.3 PER: 17.39

Dallas Mavericks
Incoming Players
Vince Carter
Salary: $13,325,000 Years Remaining: 5
PTS: 20.7 REB: 5.6 AST: 5.1 PER: 18.00
Jason Kidd
Salary: $19,728,000 Years Remaining: 2
PTS: 11.3 REB: 8.1 AST: 10.4 PER: 16.07

We'd need to use our trade exception to get Armstrong but that's doable

If we're going to trade half our team, could we get Kobe instead???

[BaylorTMW]

Hate this trade...would much rather see us go after Maggette or one of the Millers (mike or andre)...

[bernardos70]

I do not like this trade, do not support it, vote no on it.

But I'll live if it happens.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Bookit

Put me in the "I'll believe it when I see it camp". They wouldn't get rid of Harris would they? If they do then Cuban's philosophy is clear. Try to win it now and then go low in the lottery and get better players soon after.

Well lottery isn't too far off anyway....still wouldn't give up Harris...I would trade Howard before Harris to be frank. Doesn't matter though, Cuban made it clear that the trade that happens will be the one that noone talks about. Stein is hurting our team by writing this though if a trade doesn't happen.