Jason Kidd to the Mavs

Jason Kidd has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks along with two players, to make roster restrictions, for Devin Harris and a pu pu platter including Jerry Stackhouse, expiring contracts, draft picks and money. For a league a year ago Bill Simmons dubbed the “No Balls Association” two prominent GMs are certainly taking chances this year, and this, like the Shaq deal to Phoenix, is a panic move. The Lakers performed highway robbery for Pau Gasol, and everyone else is freaking out.

In Kidd the Mavs add a playoff tested veteran who’s been to the Finals twice. He’s a triple double threat every night and immediately brings that offense to another level. Kidd sees all the angles and can make all the passes. You’d be hard pressed to find a team in the league that wouldn’t want him.

The interesting thing about this move, however, is that as everyone in the West is getting bigger, the Mavs get smaller. The inside presence of Gasol and Andrew Bynum, or Tim Duncan, or Shaq and Amare Stoudamire, or Yao Ming, or Carlos Boozer, is something the Mavs will have to deal with this postseason. If they want to advance, it’s inevitable. This is an issue because one of those expiring contracts they sent away is DeSagana Diop.

Diop is not an elite player by any means, but he is the team’s only listed center behind Erick Dampier. Diop has been averaging 18 minutes per game, which is 18 minutes during which he plays defense on the other team’s center. Also to consider is the aging Kidd is not an elite defender, and so it seems the Mavs will just be hoping to win shootouts this summer, which is not a strategy we’ve seen work repeatedly in the past. On top of all of this, Kidd is only averaging 36% on his field goals this season.

The Shaq move I have already argued in favor of, aging stars are making their final few runs at the title amongst some other reasons. But these Mavs aren’t nearly as old, Dirk is 29, Josh Howard is 27, and Jason Terry is 30. The Mavs gain 11 years in the 35 year old Kidd over Devin Harris, and I don’t see any long term advantages in the contracts. The size and the ages moving in this deal just don’t add up