NBA Rumors: Why Dallas Mavericks Must Replace Jason Kidd with Deron Williams

The Dallas Mavericks must replace veteran point guard Jason Kidd in the summer by signing free-agent superstar Deron Williams to help move the franchise forward.

Kidd, 39, doesn't know what his future holds, but hasn't ruled out ending his career in Dallas.

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“We’ll see what happens,” Kidd told HOOPSWORLD. “[I’ll go to] whatever team wants me. I would love to end my career in Dallas, but we’ll see what happens this offseason.”

“I want to keep playing until I can’t play anymore, which could be very soon,” Kidd said with a laugh. “The big thing for me is I love playing the game. I love doing whatever I can to help my team win. Until that point comes – the end – I’ll keep trying to do that.”

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Kidd doesn't need to leave the Mavericks for Williams to replace him in the starting lineup. Kidd is still talented enough to be a quality backup point guard, even at this stage of his career.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban must capitalize on the opportunity to sign arguably the best point guard in the NBA. He is in a unique situation in which one of the game's best players will be a free agent and may be interested in coming to his hometown of Dallas.

With Kidd, Jason Terry, Delonte West and Lamar Odom's contracts coming off the books this summer, Cuban will have a ton of money to spend and will almost certainly make a strong push to sign Williams.

Since Dallas will have a ton of cap room, they could sign Williams and another talented player in free agency to add to a roster that already has quality players such as Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood.

Another huge reason to sign Williams is to make the team younger. The Mavericks are one of the older teams in the league and don't have any promising young stars. 

At 27 years old, Williams would be the perfect young star for the Mavericks to build around. If he signs, they would have an elite point guard and an owner that is extremely competitive and willing to spend big money to help the franchise win.

That's a type of situation all players want to be a part of.

Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow @NicholasGoss35