The Kidd deal is stalled but very alive...
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:40 pm
DALLAS -- If the Mavericks are going to bring Jason Kidd back to where his NBA career started, Devean George will have to change his mind.
As strange as it might seem, the reserve swingman holds the key to the Mavs and New Jersey Nets completing the blockbuster deal.
Before Wednesday's game against Portland, just as it seemed the deal was set to be completed, George exercised his right to block the mega-deal that would have sent Mavs starting point guard Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, George, plus cash and draft picks to New Jersey.
George, who replaced the injured Josh Howard in coach Avery Johnson's starting lineup Wednesday and went 0-for-11 in the 96-76 victory, has a clause in his one-year, $2.4 million deal that stipulates he must agree to any trade.
George forfeits his early Bird rights in a trade which, theoretically, could cost him a larger salary when he seeks his next deal after he becomes a free agent July. 1.
"This thing might not even go through," an NBA source said. "It comes down to him."
Johnson said the odds of completing the deal are, "Right now, zero." However, George, who said he planned to speak to his agent, Mark Bartelstein, when the team arrived in Phoenix early this morning to be briefed on the full ramifications of a trade, did not rule it out before the Feb. 21 deadline.
If the deal doesn't happen today, it likely won't be completed until Monday after the All-Star break.
"I don't think the trade is going anywhere, it's right there," George said. "But it's kind of messed up how all fingers are pointing at me. I'm the bad guy now holding things up, but I'll be that."
George dismissed speculation that he refused the deal because he doesn't want to play for the struggling Nets.
"You never know what is going to happen, but he likes Dallas," Bartelstein said. "He's on a championship contender. To leave that and give up his Bird rights is a big deal."
By all accounts, the deal was in the late stages of completion Wednesday evening. Kidd, dressed in street clothes as the Nets played at Toronto, spoke to reporters about the Nets in the past tense, but he acknowledged the deal, at least temporarily, had frayed.
"Hopefully I'll be a piece of the puzzle to help [the Mavs] win," Kidd said. "That's all I can do. Until it's official, until I hear from [Mavs owner Mark] Cuban or an official from the Mavericks, I'm a Net until otherwise told."
Cuban seemed agitated just before the start of the Mavs' game when asked if the deal was going through. He quickly said, "I don't think so," before heading into his courtside suite.
"In reality both sides try to do what's best for them," George said. "I try to do what's best for me. My agent looks out for me and the Mavericks obviously want to look out for their organization."
Two weeks ago, George complained about his lack of playing time and said he'd prefer to be traded if he was not going to be a part of Johnson's rotation.
Since then, George has logged about 20 minutes a game and produced while Stackhouse has been out with a hamstring injury. He played 33 minutes against Portland and was praised by Johnson as being a true professional.
"Two weeks ago, he was open to it [a trade]," the league source said. "Now, for whatever reason, he's not. The chance to showcase himself is all there for him in New Jersey. I think he just needs time to digest everything.
"The unfortunate part," the source said, "is it's holding everything up. Hopefully, cooler heads prevail."
Until Wednesday, Cuban, Mavs president Donnie Nelson and Johnson had denied interest in trading for Kidd, namely because Kidd's salary would require the Mavs to include four or more players in the deal.
Johnson, who told his team before the game to fight through the trade talk, afterward reiterated that "we like our team and when we're healthy, we can be a very good team."
After the Los Angeles Lakers made the first blockbuster deal of the trade season for 7-footer Pau Gasol, Cuban said the Mavs felt no urgency to counter and that the club did not expect to be involved in a major trade.
Perhaps all that changed after Shaquille O'Neal joined the Suns in the second blockbuster deal and the Mavs hit a recent rough patch without Harris in the lineup.
Harris, sidelined with a bone bruise on his left ankle, wandered through the Mavs' locker room before the game. He said team officials had not told him anything regarding his status with the team.
A potential deal for Kidd involving three teams that supposedly would have sent Harris to Portland had cooled a few weeks ago and talks seemed to be stagnant.
But Tuesday night and early Wednesday things heated up. Stackhouse said in an Associated Press report that his agent said the trade would go through. The Nets reportedly plan to buy out the remainder of his three-year, $21 million contract, allowing him to re-sign with the Mavs after 30 days, which he said he planned to do.
Stackhouse backpedaled on the finality of the deal before the game with Portland.
"That's all it is right now is talk," he said. "I haven't really heard anything officially from anybody that the deal was done, but obviously the news and reports on the wire and stuff pretty much said what's about to happen."
In the proposed deal, Mavs second-year guard Maurice Ager also would go to the Nets and New Jersey forward Malik Allen would join the Mavs. In a separate deal, the Mavs reportedly would acquire Nets reserve forward Antoine Wright, a former Texas A&M star, for a second-round draft pick.
Allen and Wright also did not play Wednesday, suggesting the Nets believed a deal was imminent.
The Mavs not only started George, but backup center Diop also dressed and played.
"I'm still a Maverick, so far," Diop said. "It's tough as a human being not knowing if you're going to be here tomorrow, but you have to be a pro about it."
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As strange as it might seem, the reserve swingman holds the key to the Mavs and New Jersey Nets completing the blockbuster deal.
Before Wednesday's game against Portland, just as it seemed the deal was set to be completed, George exercised his right to block the mega-deal that would have sent Mavs starting point guard Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, George, plus cash and draft picks to New Jersey.
George, who replaced the injured Josh Howard in coach Avery Johnson's starting lineup Wednesday and went 0-for-11 in the 96-76 victory, has a clause in his one-year, $2.4 million deal that stipulates he must agree to any trade.
George forfeits his early Bird rights in a trade which, theoretically, could cost him a larger salary when he seeks his next deal after he becomes a free agent July. 1.
"This thing might not even go through," an NBA source said. "It comes down to him."
Johnson said the odds of completing the deal are, "Right now, zero." However, George, who said he planned to speak to his agent, Mark Bartelstein, when the team arrived in Phoenix early this morning to be briefed on the full ramifications of a trade, did not rule it out before the Feb. 21 deadline.
If the deal doesn't happen today, it likely won't be completed until Monday after the All-Star break.
"I don't think the trade is going anywhere, it's right there," George said. "But it's kind of messed up how all fingers are pointing at me. I'm the bad guy now holding things up, but I'll be that."
George dismissed speculation that he refused the deal because he doesn't want to play for the struggling Nets.
"You never know what is going to happen, but he likes Dallas," Bartelstein said. "He's on a championship contender. To leave that and give up his Bird rights is a big deal."
By all accounts, the deal was in the late stages of completion Wednesday evening. Kidd, dressed in street clothes as the Nets played at Toronto, spoke to reporters about the Nets in the past tense, but he acknowledged the deal, at least temporarily, had frayed.
"Hopefully I'll be a piece of the puzzle to help [the Mavs] win," Kidd said. "That's all I can do. Until it's official, until I hear from [Mavs owner Mark] Cuban or an official from the Mavericks, I'm a Net until otherwise told."
Cuban seemed agitated just before the start of the Mavs' game when asked if the deal was going through. He quickly said, "I don't think so," before heading into his courtside suite.
"In reality both sides try to do what's best for them," George said. "I try to do what's best for me. My agent looks out for me and the Mavericks obviously want to look out for their organization."
Two weeks ago, George complained about his lack of playing time and said he'd prefer to be traded if he was not going to be a part of Johnson's rotation.
Since then, George has logged about 20 minutes a game and produced while Stackhouse has been out with a hamstring injury. He played 33 minutes against Portland and was praised by Johnson as being a true professional.
"Two weeks ago, he was open to it [a trade]," the league source said. "Now, for whatever reason, he's not. The chance to showcase himself is all there for him in New Jersey. I think he just needs time to digest everything.
"The unfortunate part," the source said, "is it's holding everything up. Hopefully, cooler heads prevail."
Until Wednesday, Cuban, Mavs president Donnie Nelson and Johnson had denied interest in trading for Kidd, namely because Kidd's salary would require the Mavs to include four or more players in the deal.
Johnson, who told his team before the game to fight through the trade talk, afterward reiterated that "we like our team and when we're healthy, we can be a very good team."
After the Los Angeles Lakers made the first blockbuster deal of the trade season for 7-footer Pau Gasol, Cuban said the Mavs felt no urgency to counter and that the club did not expect to be involved in a major trade.
Perhaps all that changed after Shaquille O'Neal joined the Suns in the second blockbuster deal and the Mavs hit a recent rough patch without Harris in the lineup.
Harris, sidelined with a bone bruise on his left ankle, wandered through the Mavs' locker room before the game. He said team officials had not told him anything regarding his status with the team.
A potential deal for Kidd involving three teams that supposedly would have sent Harris to Portland had cooled a few weeks ago and talks seemed to be stagnant.
But Tuesday night and early Wednesday things heated up. Stackhouse said in an Associated Press report that his agent said the trade would go through. The Nets reportedly plan to buy out the remainder of his three-year, $21 million contract, allowing him to re-sign with the Mavs after 30 days, which he said he planned to do.
Stackhouse backpedaled on the finality of the deal before the game with Portland.
"That's all it is right now is talk," he said. "I haven't really heard anything officially from anybody that the deal was done, but obviously the news and reports on the wire and stuff pretty much said what's about to happen."
In the proposed deal, Mavs second-year guard Maurice Ager also would go to the Nets and New Jersey forward Malik Allen would join the Mavs. In a separate deal, the Mavs reportedly would acquire Nets reserve forward Antoine Wright, a former Texas A&M star, for a second-round draft pick.
Allen and Wright also did not play Wednesday, suggesting the Nets believed a deal was imminent.
The Mavs not only started George, but backup center Diop also dressed and played.
"I'm still a Maverick, so far," Diop said. "It's tough as a human being not knowing if you're going to be here tomorrow, but you have to be a pro about it."
http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop