by: David Kay
In an offseason where the top teams in the NBA have made substantial moves to improve their roster, Mark Cuban and the Mavs are trying to keep pace. Dallas has been active this summer re-signing point guard Jason Kidd, acquiring Shawn Marion in a four-team sign-and-trade deal, and signing Magic free agent center Marcin Gortat to an offer sheet.
Despite being 36 years old and averaging the least amount of points last season during his 15-year NBA career, Kidd still has some gas left in the tank. He agreed to a 3-year, $25 million deal after reportedly having several teams including the Knicks show interest. From a financial standpoint, it was a no-brainer for Kidd seeing as the Mavs were really the only team able to offer him more than the mid-level exception. Plus, the allure of staying in Dallas rather than sign with a Knicks team in transition gives Kidd a better, albeit slim chance of winning his first championship ring.
Some people think Kidd is washed up and will only be able to play at a high level for another year or two which puts the length of his deal somewhat in question. I wouldn’t be too concerned considering Kidd played in all but one game last season and averaged nearly 36 minutes per contest. He is the quarterback of the Mavs’ offense and needed to be re-signed if Dallas wanted to have any chance of improving from their sixth seed in the Western Conference.
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