Jason Kidd Leaving Dallas Mavericks, Joining New York Knicks

In an off-season being met with plenty of high-profile trades and free agent deals here’s one we didn’t see coming, Jason Kidd is leaving the Dallas Mavericks to join forces with the New York Knicks.

On Thursday the Dallas Mavericks said they were confident that a deal was in the works for Kidd, a deal that would be worth $9 million over three-years. Kidd deliberated all day with the Mavericks but a deal couldn’t be worked out and he decided to leave for New York with a similar deal.

Jason Kidd won’t be able to sign his new contract until July 11 when the moratorium on NBA business expires. One source close to the talks says Kidd could move over to the New York Kinicks in a sign-and-trade deal.

According to sources close to Kidd he chose New York for the chance to move into the Eastern Conference elite and to mentor Jeremy Lin who he sees as the future of the league.

Kidd’s hopes of working with Jeremy Lin could be for naught, after agreeing to terms the Knicks learned that Jeremy Lin was closing in on a four-year, $28.8 million contract with the Houston Rockets.

The New York Knicks will now have to determine if they want to match the Lin offer and keep him on the team with Jason Kidd or if they can sway Kidd to sign a deal without Lin on the roster.

It would be a good idea for Jeremy Lin to weigh his options, being mentored by a 10-time MVP who has already extended his career to the age of 39-years-old could prove beneficial for the longevity of Jeremy Lin’s own career.