NBA Free-Agency Rumors: Jason Kidd Ready to Sign Deal with Dallas Mavericks

Good news: The Dallas Mavericks solved their issue at the point guard position, for now.

Bad news: It's not any of the guys they wanted.

Good news again: It looks like they got the guy who's been loyal to them since he was traded back to Dallas in 2008.

According to ESPN Dallas' Jeff Caplan, Jason Kidd will be returning to the Dallas Mavericks, perhaps for the final run of his long and glorious NBA career, reportedly ready to sign a multi-year contract that could possibly run into his 20th season.

The 39-year-old future Hall of Fame point guard will be returning to a team that is desperately looking for something to cheer about in this free agency period. Dallas missed huge chances at signing Deron Williams—who signed a five-year deal with Brooklyn on Tuesday—and Steve Nash—who was traded to the Lakers on Wednesday.

Ever since the season ended, reports had been flying around that Kidd would wind up wherever Williams decided to sign, but due to the cap situation going on in Brooklyn, the possibility of J-Kidd and D-Will pairing up with the Nets was all but eliminated.

The New York Knicks were in hot pursuit of bringing Kidd in to play with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire after they lost out on Nash, and with the Knicks all but prepared to counter the Houston Rockets offer for guard Jeremy Lin, there was only one destination Kidd could go to:

The place where it all began.

Unfortunately, due to his age, Kidd won't be playing in the 30-plus-minute range for these final couple of seasons.

However, this is a great opportunity to let the young guards—Roddy Beaubois and first-round pick Jared Cunningham—have the opportunity to see what they can do. More playing time for them means that Kidd's role as a mentor coming off the bench will increase as time goes on.

Kidd was drafted No. 2 overall by Dallas in 1994, and he spent two seasons with the Mavs before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1996. After a five-year run with the Suns, Kidd was traded to the New Jersey Nets, a team which he led to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.

Midway through the 2008 season, Kidd was traded back to Dallas for Devin Harris, and in three seasons as the starting point guard, he helped lead Dallas to its first NBA championship in franchise history.