In A World of Sports

*** Updated At Bottom

ESPN.com is reporting that trade talks between Dallas and New Jersey have heated up again after the two teams played each other in Jersey on Sunday, a game which featured only one team on the floor for most of the night (Nets won 101-82).

The report states that Dallas would be sending Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Desagna Diop, Devean George and another player to Jersey for Kidd, Malik Allen and Darrell Armstong.  Cash and future first-rounders are also to be sent New Jersey’s way. 

Obviously the Mavs will get one of the best point-guards in the league with Kidd, but I’m not sure he’s worth all that.  One of the Mavericks big strengths is their depth.  Their second unit production is often better than any team they play and to make this work they are giving up a few regular rotation players, most notably Harris, the guy they liked for their future, Stackhouse, and Diop.  But hell, for the sake of the trade I would do it, this is a team that has been close but not quite there in recent years and getting a strong guard like Kidd, and a dynamite distributor, may be a key missing piece. 

ESPN likes to point out that he hasn’t been very efficient and ranks low on player-efficiency, particularly for starting PGs in the NBA, but as evidenced by the recent Shaq deal, when you can get a superstar you get him.  Dallas was also a team extremely interested in Shaq’s services until Phoenix traded for him last week so maybe with Plan A out the window, Plan B became more prominent.

*** So it appears that this deal might be completed.  So the Mavs are basically getting Kidd for Harris, Stackhouse, Diop and 2 first rounders if the rumours are true.  Which made me think of an interesting sidenote, a couple actually.  This might be the first time a team has traded a player after he was named to that year’s all-star team before the actual all-star game took place.  So, now we assume Kidd will be added as a 13th man to the Western conference roster, opening up a vacancy on the Eastern side.  My hope is that the East will now add the overlooked Jose Calderon who somehow didn’t make it the first time through despite Gilbert Arenas’ feelings that this was a good move.