Okay, so this trade has been in the offing forever—Jason Kidd to a Western Conference team for the second half of some season.
So what is the Kidd trade about?
The point guard scoring per game is down this season. His career average is 14.3 PPG. This season he’s averaging 11.3 PPG, which is still respectable. The good news is that the playmaker’s assists are up. He’s got 10.4 per game, which is better than his career average of 9.2. Kidd can still play and he may just give the Mavericks that extra burst they need to finally win it all.
Is the deal for real? Well. The league gave it’s blessing at 12:30 ET today. So, yes, it is real and done. Here’s what’s going on.
Kidd, swingman Antoine Wright and forward Malik Allen move from New Jersey to Dallas. Allen can come off the bench and score points. He’s an excellent foul shooter. In his third year with the Nets, Wright had seen his playing time go from 18 MPG to over 25 MPG. He’s averaging 7.3 PPG but his shooting accuracy is down. The one area that has seen marked improvement is his foul shooting that is up from 60% last season to 71% this year.
Obviously, Kidd is the big deal in the package. And his presence in the Mavericks’ line-up certainly ups the ante in a conference that is turbo charged with fast moving, high-energy talent. In the Southwest Division, Dallas is certainly right in the mix. But they’re battling against the upstart New Orleans Hornets and the defending championship club the San Antonio Spurs. Additionally Houston, which has won eight straight, is certainly a contender. Less than five games separate the top spot Hornets and the fourth-place rockets.
Kidd could tip the scale and be a difference maker.
The Mavs basically traded a young point guard—24 year-old Devin Harris—for an aging one—Kidd. Harris is not the same type of playmaker that Kidd is, but he’s a solid point guard who can score. He’s 48% from the floor, 36% from downtown and 82% from the charity strip. He’s averaging 14.4 PPG and 5.3 APG.
Included in the deal are center DeSagana Diop, swingman Maurice Ager, forward Trenton Hassell and retired forward Keith Van Horn. Additionally, New Jersey receives $3 million and two first-round draft picks.
Of course, for Kidd this is his second tour of duty in Dallas. His first lasted 2.5 years. Then he went to Phoenix and five years after that he traveled to New Jersey. The Nets got to the finals two seasons in a row in 2002 and 2003.
Since then, the Nets have not been to the finals and the club has been in decline. Kidd started requesting a trade last season. Now that the deal is done, it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the court.
Technorati Tags: Jason Kidd, Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks, NBA
