No one saw this coming: future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd chose the New York Knicks.
There was talk that he would go to Brooklyn to back up Deron Williams. Most recent reports had him re-signing with the Dallas Mavericks.
With the Mavericks confident they were closing in on a verbal agreement on a three-year deal with Kidd worth $9 million, sources told ESPN.com that Kidd — after all-day deliberations with both teams — made a surprising choice.
“I think I can help,” Kidd told ESPN.com, adding he felt the Knicks have more “pieces to work with.”
The contract can’t actually be signed until July 11, which is the first day new NBA contracts can be signed. It’s also possible, one source said, that Kidd could ultimately move to the Knicks in a sign-and-trade deal.
In the latter part of his brilliant career, Kidd wanted to take on the challenge of trying to help the Knicks move into the Eastern Conference elite and also mentor fans’ darling Jeremy Lin, sources said.
