It's Official: Jason Kidd to Dallas in Eight-Player Deal

Just to review, here is the eight-player deal that was completed today:

Mavericks get:

G Jason Kidd

F Antoine Wright

F Malik Allen

Nets get:

G Devin Harris

G Maurice Ager

G/F Trenton Hassell

F Keith Van Horn

C DeSagana Diop 

Two First-Round Draft Picks 

$3 Million

How Does This Trade Help the Mavericks?

The Mavericks have always been one of best teams in the Western Conference, but have never had a player with true leadership experience. Finally, after enduring the veto by Devean George and the mouth of Jerry Stackhouse, the Mavericks will get who Lawrence Frank described as a "once-in-a-lifetime type of guy to play with and coach."

Jason Kidd may be 35 years old, but his body is still built like a tank. He will be tough to deal with on both ends of the floor.

The Mavericks also have a playmaker who can find the open guy on the fastbreak or in the half-court, rather than relying on isolations and set plays for Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki, who is also seeing more double teams this season.

After being near the bottom of the NBA in assists, we should see a significant increase in those numbers for the Mavericks with Kidd running the offense.

Don't mistake Jason Kidd running the point guard position for a Mavs team with Steve Nash. The difference between the two is that Nash is primarily a fastbreak player, but Kidd can play in the half-court offense as well. The Mavericks also have a focus on defense and Kidd will be able to body up bigger guards such as Baron Davis, as well as forwards.

More importantly Kidd will bring the toughness and leadership that has been missing from this Maverick team. Nowitzki was expected to be the leader, but he's not really that type of player. Now he can concentrate on playing his game rather than trying so hard to lead his team. Still, there will be no doubt that he will be the focus of the Mavericks' offense.

The Mavericks also get young forward Antoine Wright. We can look for him to pair with Brandon Bass to provide energy and solid inside presence. Malik Allen will provide some additional size with the loss of Diop.

The Mavericks are winners in this deal because of Kidd's skill, but the question of whether it will be enough to push them to the top will remain to be answered. 

...And the New Jersey Nets?

Despite Jason Kidd averaging nearly a triple-double every night, the Nets still could not find ways to win. Since winning was difficult to foresee in the near future, the Nets decided it was time to get players for the long-term.

The biggest part of the deal was the acquisition Devin Harris, a young talented point guard who is very quick on the fastbreak. With his improving jumpshot, Devin Harris could eventually become one of the league's best point guards, which was what the Nets were looking for.

The Nets aren't expecting too much from the other players. DeSagana Diop can provide some interior defense that the Nets desperately needed. They won't get much offense out of him, but he will provide the energy and second-chance opportunities for his team.

The Nets will get some solid defensive guards in Trenton Hassell and Maurice Ager, and hope that the first-round draft picks can provide some good talent.

The Nets also unloaded Kidd's $20 million contracted, which could be bait to attract other players. With Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson on the team, the Nets could still make some noise in the Eastern Conference if they can get their act together.

Since the Nets weren't winners with Kidd, it's difficult to believe they'll be winners this season without him.

However, in the long-term the Nets will have plenty of young talent to develop around the stars, and could get back into playoff contention in a few years.

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