Kidd to Lakers May Be Nets' Best Bet

In the past few weeks, I've talked in general terms about the Nets' decision on whether to try to make a run in the East or to blow up the roster and start over.

But now that the trade deadline is eight days away and trade proposals are coming in from other teams, it's time to get down to specifics.

New Jersey has wrestled with this quandary privately ever since the team's 11–18 start and Nenad Krstic's knee injury, and the urgency has increased in recent weeks as it's become more and more apparent that they aren't going to turn the corner.

External forces are putting the heat on as well, such as the impending free agency of star guard Vince Carter. Carter has an optout in his contract after the season, so it's theoretically possible he could choose to stay a Net for two more years. But realistically, he'd be a fool to do so. He can get the security of a five-year deal for the league's maximum salary, putting him in the league's highest tax bracket until age 35.

Meanwhile, franchise icon Jason Kidd turns 34 next month. Although he's still playing at an All-Star level (and hopefully will be able to play this weekend in Vegas; a back injury has his him questionable for the event), Kidd would be way past his prime by the time a Nets rebuilding project bore fruit.

As I've mentioned before, Carter is the key to the decision. If the Nets reach the conclusion that he will opt out of his deal and leave for greener pastures, then it only makes sense to begin the rebuilding now so they can get something of value in return for their two best players.

But the Nets don't necessarily need to play the Carter card before the Kidd card. Which is a good thing, because the talks on Kidd have heated up the most in recent days. Reports say the Lakers have offered a package of expiring contracts, young players, and draft picks to the Nets in return for Kidd. That's the type of deal that could jump-start New Jersey's rebuilding process, should the team choose to go that way.

And with the Nets mulling over the Lakers' proposal and undoubtedly calling around the league to see if other, better ones are in the offing, it seems clear that New Jersey's front office is more or less resigned to this fate.

If it is, this offer deserves serious consideration. While the offer can take on many different forms depending on the contracts included, there's one in particular that seems the most logical. That would send Kidd and Jason Collins to the Lakers for six players — Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Aaron McKie, Shammond Williams, Jordan Farmar, and Brian Cook — as well as two firstround picks and cash.

Let's look at the individual pieces:

• Mihm and McKie are injured and won't play again this year. Both have expiring contracts, shaving nearly $7 million off the Nets' cap number after the season.

• Williams also has an expiring contract, though he's healthy and would probably see some backcourt minutes if he wasn't moved to a third team. That cuts nearly $2 million more.

• Brown, a bust as the league's top overall pick in 2001, has a severely sprained ankle and may not play again this year. He has one year left on his deal before it expires, which would drop nearly $9 million from the Nets' cap number in the summer of 2008. In the meantime, he'd be a useful player in Jersey's system — he defends the high pick-and-roll well and can score in the post a little.

• Cook and especially Farmar would the bigger prizes longterm. Farmar has been one of the league's better rookie guards, and a combo of him and Marcus Williams at the point would augur well for the post-Kidd future. Cook is an outstanding long-range shooter who has become lost in the Lakers' big-man rotation, but his affordable salary is a huge plus.

• The draft picks would be helpful, but one of them wouldn't be until 2009, and both would probably be late in the first round, given the strength of the Lakers.

• Dropping Collins's deal in addition to Kidd's is important. It would remove about $6 million extra off New Jersey's cap number each of the next three years, making it much easier to rebuild the roster when Carter departs.

All told, there's a lot to like here. Some might wonder if Los Angeles would be willing to do a six-fortwo trade like this because of the impact on its depth, but when one considers the ramifications — a trio of Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Kidd would seem to be a title contender — it looks like a risk worth taking.

Other permutations of this deal work, too — for instance, the Nets could get Luke Walton or Ronny Turiaf instead of Williams — but the whole point for L.A. is to get Kidd without messing up their core. The deal above accomplishes it.

Is it the best one out there for the Nets? I think it probably will be. Kidd's contract is absolutely enormous — close to $20 million a year, with two-plus years left to go — and he's not going to hold off Father Time forever, so a lot of teams aren't interested in taking the risk. Additionally, few teams combine the Lakers' assets of expiring contracts, young players, and financial wherewithal that can make the deal happen.

And unlike Carter, who can be moved in a sign-and-trade deal during the summer even if New Jersey doesn't keep him, Kidd would have be traded now to seriously effect the rebuilding project. The offers won't be as strong in the summer because the contending teams won't show nearly the same urgency, and besides, the Nets can rebuild sooner by dealing now because two of the contracts expire almost immediately.

The Nets gave it the old college try this year, but even before Krstic and Richard Jefferson went out, it was clear that the talent wasn't nearly at the level some suspected. Resigning oneself to rebuilding is never fun, because on some level it's an admission of failure, but sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. With the Nets 25–27, Carter packing his bags, and a strong offer on the table for Kidd, it seems time to admit defeat and fight the next battle.

jholllinger@nysun.com