Knicks Make Some Noise Signing Jason Kidd To 3-Year $9 Million Deal

Added by Stephen Zimkouski on July 5, 2012.

The Knicks have signed Jason Kidd to a three year contract.

The New York Knicks were relatively quiet in the first few days of the NBA free agency process. However, there are a few off-season moves worth noting.

It looks like the Knicks will not match the 3-year $20 million dollar offer signed by restricted free agent Landry Fields with the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks will however try and re-sign J.R. Smith to a long term deal to sure up their bench. The Knicks showed clearly that their primary concern was to get Steve Nash and were listed as the favorites for much of July 4th until the Lakers were able to create some “fireworks” of their own and made the surprising sign and trade acquisition of Nash.

The Knicks didn’t wait long to make some news of their own as they were able to lure away another Hall Of Fame point guard in Jason Kidd from the Dallas Mavericks, signing him to a 3-year $9 million contract.

With the roster still shaping up it will be interesting to see if Kidd will start or come off the bench. While his play has greatly diminished he can still be a solid backup point guard in my opinion.

Now, let me start by saying that Steve Nash is one of my five favorite players of all time. However, I think that signing Kidd is a better move than if they had signed Nash. In order to sign Nash the Knicks would’ve had to trade Iman Shumpert in a package to the Suns.

The Knicks are not in a position that a piece like Steve Nash would turn them into a top five title contender and because of that, the move didn’t make sense. Kidd is cheaper although a 3-year deal is probably too long and $9 million is probably too much. He will most likely be a good role player and mentor to either Jeremy Lin or Raymond Felton if the Knicks elect not to bring the former back. Jason Kidd’s style of play also fits the Knicks more as they are a more half court oriented team and even as he has declined is a better defender and rebounder than Nash.

Also, with the Jason Kidd deal, it is important to note that if an offer for Lin gets too high (above the $31 million offered by Houston now) the Knicks may not be willing to match the offer to avoid the heavy luxury tax in three years. Felton is the much more affordable option and it’s hard to argue that Lin is a better player in his small sample size and statistical decrease since the promotion of head coach Mike Woodson.

In the next few weeks we will see if the Knicks can make the necessary moves in order to improve their roster.