Jason Kidd will be a 39-year-old free agent this summer, which is usually when a veteran takes a small paycheck (by NBA standards, anyway) to win a ring and just stay in the game.
Kidd isn’t playing by those rules, apparently. Here is the tweet from Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (hat tip to Ball Don’t Lie):
That means about $5 million a year. Which will be too rich for Dallas’ blood (although they have their attention focused on Deron Williams anyway). Now, if I were trying to get as much money as I can out of a last contract, I’d say exactly what Kidd said in this situation. Even if I didn’t mean it.
Kidd had arguably the worst year of his career last year, with 6.2 points and 5.5 assists per game in just under 29 minutes a game. He had a PER of 13.1 — below the league average but not really out of line with a lot of backup point guards in the league. He has struggled shooting in the playoffs, going 4-18. But he is still a cagey guy with the ball in his hands, one who tests and probes defenses in a clever way, something that has a lot of value.
For teams, are you willing to spend $5 million on a veteran but slowed Kidd, or would you rather give those minutes to a young player you are trying to develop? Likely with a much cheaper contract.