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Jason Kidd traded to Dallas

UPDATE: Marc Stein at ESPN is saying that Devean George is going to exercise his right to veto any trade involving him.  Unbelievable! We’ll see if he can be persuaded, or if something can be worked out without George.  Stay tuned!

According to multiple sources, including Marc Stein of ESPN and Tony Meija at CBS Sportsline, Jason Kidd’s long-rumoured trade to the Dallas Mavericks is finally done. According to sources, the trade breaks down like so: Dallas gets Kidd and Malik Allen, while New Jersey gets Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Devean George, Maurice Ager, two first-round picks and $3 million.

Isn’t this fun? First Gasol, then Shaq, and now Kidd. But this deal wasn’t supposed to happen. Isn’t that right, Mark Cuban?

“For us to make the numbers work in a deal like that, we’d have to trade away half the team,” Cuban told The New York Daily News. “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.”

That’s Cubes, alright, recently reported as saying the above to Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News before trading away half his team, a few million dollars, and some draft picks to get Kidd. Is the best owner in professional sports a liar? Or is he just doing his job, like every other exec in the NBA? Probably the latter, but as a fan, I expect more from Cuban than the rest of the bunch.

So, quick analysis: Dallas just got a lot better. They now have a Hall of Fame point guard in Kidd, an All-Star small forward in Josh Howard, and the reigning MVP in Dirk. Add to that a still-solid bench and you’ve got a team that should be in the Western Conference Finals this year…right? It’s hard to tell how things will shake out, with all the movement in the last two weeks, but Dallas suddenly look like they’re going deep into the playoffs again.

Even though nobody cares (people in Jersey don’t even go to watch the Nets play), the Nets have probably improved a great deal because of this trade. They get a solid point guard in Harris (although he’s never going to develop into an All-Star, in my opinion) to play alongside Carter and Jefferson, and a legitimate defensive presence in the middle in Diop. Devean George might be able to contribute (who knows how, but maybe) and Jerry Stackhouse will probably want to be bought out or moved immediately, while Ager probably gets cute without the “e”.

Oh, and what of the All-Star starter-status bestowed upon our dear friend Jason Kidd, you ask? The NBA will make a decision on that one when the trade officially clears, so we won’t know for another day or two. Regardless, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Jason Kidd suit up for the West All-Star team. I think that would be unfair to guys like Baron Davis and Deron Williams, both of whom are more deserving of All-Star status in the West than Kidd (although one could argue that Kidd was voted in, so it’s not a matter of ‘deserving’ anything). This one will be fun because it may set a precedent for future situations involving traded All-Stars.

Jason Kidd Photo Credit: Icon SMI

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