Jason Kidd signed a 3 yr./$25 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks as we all expected. There were no heavy favorite NBA Finals team in which he could have signed with and he opted instead for the money as oppose to spending a season in New York before the Lebron sweepstakes started. So knowing that Kidd would likely be offered mid-level exceptions and shorter contracts from teams like the Knicks or Blazers,Mark Cuban overpays for Kidd and signs him to a longer contract than he needed too. Kidd is clearly on the decline of his career, in addition to far being removed from his peak in the 2002-2003 season. And if you're incline to bring up his performance in the 2008 Olympics, Chris Paul (CP3) and Deron Williams were more productive although Kidd did provide the leadership that the group needed.
Instead, I think Mark Cuban would have been wise to try and pursue another New Jersey Nets pointguard, no, not the guy that they shouldn't have traded away for Kidd (Devin Harris), but Rafer Alston. Alston had a very productive year for the Rockets and Magics and was a key contributer to the Magics' run before Jameer Nelson's return. Alston would have come cheaper, younger (4 years), and with shorter terms. He would have nicely filled the role of mentor to JJ Barea in that Barea is a career back-up and borderline starter, a role that Alston knows far too well. This would have nicely filled the one-year gap before the 2010 free agents sweepstakes for the Mavs. But as the Kidd signing signals, Cuban is more interested in spending money, making poor decisions, and compiling a potential 50-game winner that will never contend for the NBA Championship in a crowded Western conference than to build a solid young core to potentially contend. Dallas fans are probably wishing Cuban could have bought the Cubs last year and spent this summer worrying about their underperformance as oppose to the Mavericks..
