Kidd Backing Away from NY

From HoopsWorld:

An informed source has told HOOPSWORLD that Jason Kidd intends to return to the Dallas Mavericks for a three-year, $24 million contract.

Kidd has indicated to the Mavericks and New York Knicks that he'll mull over their respective offers over the weekend. The Knicks are said to be offering Jason a guaranteed three years at the Mid-Level Exception (MLE) which works out to be approximately $18.1 million.

Barring a surprising change of events, Kidd is expected to notify the Dallas on Monday that he'll take their offer which would start at approximately $7.25 million for the upcoming season.


Like I wrote yesterday, Jason Kidd has no reason to think over the Knicks' offer. All things considered, the contract was too good to pass up. The fact that he is taking the weekend makes me believe that he's just messing around.

So who will the New York Knicks get to fill the open spot at guard? Well, Jacque Vaughn and Brevin Knight are two long-time vets who are unrestricted. Neither will command multiple years or anything close to a mid-level exception. Vaughn is ageless and Knight was a Knicks killer when he was in Charlotte.

Von Wafer is also out there. He's more of a combo guard but he's coming off a breakout year with Houston. He was big in the playoffs which is a mentality the Knicks need. He's not good enough to get an MLE, but given his young age -- a spry 23 -- I'd consider signing him to a low-figured, multi-year contract. He makes an excellent bench player, similar to Damon Jones in his prime.

Juan Dixon is unrestricted. Yeah, I'm that opposed to a 3-year deal for J. Kidd.

But the Knicks are looking inward to fill the guard spot. The NY Post reports:


In another sign of Nate Robinson's looming exit, the Knicks signed Morris Almond, Utah's 2007 first-round pick out of Rice, to their summer-league team. According to a team source, the Knicks fully expect to sign the free agent sharpshooter for next season as long as he performs decently in Las Vegas. The summer league begins July 14.


That's interesting. Almond has size at 6'6" and is a deadly shooter. He averaged over 25 points in 48 D-League games. He was great in college, averaging over 24 points and 6 rebounds a game. He could turn into something good.


--Max Caster