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Jason Kidd Retires

June 3rd, 2013 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

Jason Kidd has decided to end his playing career and has retired, the Knicks officially announced today (Twitter link). The veteran point guard still had two seasons and $6.18MM remaining on his three-year contract with New York.

"[Agent] Jeff [Schwartz] and I and my family had been talking this past weekend," Kidd told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. "We talked a lot and we felt it was the right time to move on and so we notified the Knicks. They were kind of taken aback. We told them [earlier] that I wanted to come back and play. But this weekend was when we got a chance to relax [and really think about it]. It is the right thing to do."

As recently as last Thursday, we heard that Kidd remained undecided about his future, though it sounded as if he was leaning toward returning next season with the Knicks. While the 40-year-old played a key role for the Knicks during the regular season, he struggled mightily during the playoffs, making just three baskets overall and going for 0-for-17 from the field with no points in the team's final 10 games.

For his career, the future Hall-of-Famer averaged 12.6 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 6.3 RPG in nearly 1400 total contests. He was named to 10 All-Star teams, won a championship in 2011 with the Mavericks, and also earned co-Rookie of the Year honors back in 1995 with Grant Hill, who also retired this week. As Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com notes (via Twitter), Kidd currently ranks second overall among the NBA's all-time assists and steals leaders, and ranks third in career triple doubles.

Kidd's retirement could slightly reduce the Knicks' luxury-tax bill, depending on whether or not his full annual salaries of $3.09MM remain on the team's books for each of the next two seasons. However, the club will now have a hole to fill at the point — with Pablo Prigioni facing free agency, Raymond Felton will be the only point guard still on the roster.

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Kidd Still Deciding On Future

May 30th, 2013 at 6:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

ESPN New York's Ohm Youngmisuk spotted Knicks guard Jason Kidd at a charity event in New York city this evening, and heard "that's the plan" when the 40-year-old veteran was asked if he is coming back next season. Kidd added that he'll take the next couple of days to think about whether or not he'll decide to return, and if so, it would be with the Knicks (Twitter links). Having just completed his 18th season in the NBA, the 6'4 guard is still under contract for two more seasons at about $3.09MM per year. 

Marc Berman of the New York Post followed up with an article that shared some of the specifics of Jason's comments, later mentioning that Kidd had told Knicks GM Glen Grunwald last week that he had planned on returning:

"I am thinking about it. We’ll see. I have to make a decision. We’ll see what happens. Right now I plan on coming back but in the next couple of days or a week or so, I’m going to think about it if I should keep playing or trying something different…There’s a lot different stuff I may have the opportunity to do,’’ said Kidd. “If I play, I plan on playing for the Knicks.’’

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Atlantic Notes: Nets, Watson, Sund, Knicks, White

May 21st, 2013 at 9:07pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are some notes from the only division in the East with no team left standing:

  • While the timing is unclear, C.J. Watson's former agent, Jared Karnes, confirmed that Watson is now represented by Excel Sports, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.  Watson, who played 19 minutes per game for the Nets this year, owns a player option for the league minimum next season and told Bondy last month he'd love to return to Brooklyn. 
  • Besides Masai Ujiri and Kevin Pritchard – names that we've already heard – the Raptors are also considering Rick Sund for their newly available general manager position, report Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today. 
  • In the wake of the Knicks playoff exit this weekend, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News offers his thoughts, via Twitter, on what Glen Grunwald and company must do in the offseason to improve.  While they are hindered by cap issues, Isola tweets that the Knicks should try to find a way to add unrestricted free agent Kyle Korver, and then draft a point guard or a big man in June.  Isola also tweets that he believes Jason Kidd's time in New York is over, despite what Grunfeld said, but hopes the team persuades Pablo Prigioni to stay. 
  • According to his agent, James White is unlikely to return to the Knicks next season if they don't pick up his option, reports Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York.  William McCandless, White's agent, is confident that his client will garner NBA interest this offseason but because White values playing time, he has no problem going back overseas to continue his career. 
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Knicks GM Talks Cap, Prigioni, Copeland, Kidd

May 21st, 2013 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald spoke to the media today, reflecting on a Knicks season that ended with a second-round loss to the Pacers and looking ahead to the team's plans for the coming summer. A number of New York reporters, including Al Iannazzone of Newsday, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, Marc Berman of the New York Post, and Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, passed along a few of Grunwald's more notable comments, so let's round them up:

  • The Knicks will focus on continuing to build and add to their core group, but won't be able to acquire anyone via sign-and-trade, says Grunwald (Twitter link). That rules out the pursuit of a top free agent like Chris Paul.
  • New York will have access to the taxpayer mid-level exception rather than the full $5.15MM MLE, and Grunwald says the club may have to dip into it to match offer sheets for restricted free agents Pablo Prigioni and Chris Copeland (Twitter link).
  • Despite the team's limited cap flexibility, Grunwald is confident the team can be "creative" when it comes to adding talent, noting that the Knicks "have some ideas" for what can be done (Twitter link).
  • After speaking to Jason Kidd, Grunwald is confident the veteran point guard will be back next season, as opposed to retiring (Twitter link).
  • Grunwald declined to comment on J.R. Smith's free agency, but added: "I don’t think you should read that one way or another" (Twitter link).
  • Although Grunwald was disappointed by the way the Knicks' season ended, he stressed that he likes the team and is excited about its future (Sulia link).
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Atlantic Notes: Colangelo, Raps, Copeland, Knicks

May 21st, 2013 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have scheduled a pair of conference calls this morning, one with MLSE president/CEO Tim Leiweke and one with Bryan Colangelo, who appears to be taking on a new non-basketball role with the franchise. While we await word on Colangelo's official title, let's check in on a few other notes related to the Raptors' front office changes and related to one of Toronto's division rivals….

  • The Raptors' top target to replace Colangelo as the head of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri, isn't going to talk to Leiweke before Wednesday, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Smith also suggests that if the Raptors miss out on Ujiri, they should try to convince current advisor Wayne Embry to become the team's new president.
  • Bruce Arthur and Eric Koreen of the National Post each provide retrospectives for Colangelo's tenure as the Raptors' general manager.
  • A few days after Chris Copeland's agent said that money would be an important factor in free agency this summer, Copeland stressed that he's "never chased the highest bidder," as Mark Hale of the New York Post details. "I love it here [with the Knicks]," Copeland said. "The finances play a part, but I have a lot of emotional ties here that it would be harder for me to break."
  • In his latest piece for the New York Post, Marc Berman touches on the contract situations for a number of Knicks players. The highlights: Tyson Chandler says he's not sure whether or not Jason Kidd will continue his playing career, while Carmelo Anthony expresses a desire to see J.R. Smith re-sign with the team.
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Atlantic Rumors: Sixers, Sampson, Howard, Kidd

May 16th, 2013 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up the latest out of the Atlantic, where the division's lone remaining team (the Knicks) will attempt to stave off elimination at Madison Square Garden tonight….

  • The Sixers have received permission to interview Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson, according to John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sampson had already been on Philadelphia's list of candidates before former Rockets assistant GM Sam Hinkie was hired by the Sixers, but it will be interesting to see whether or not the Houston connection makes Sampson a stronger candidate for the opening.
  • Mitchell adds in the same piece that Hinkie is believed to be eyeing Jazz assistant Jeff Hornacek as well.
  • Hinkie says he'll look at all options in building his team back up to contention, writes PhillyBurbs.com's Tom Moore.
  • In identifying Dwight Howard's five likeliest free agent destinations, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes that there's still mutual interest between Howard and the Nets. While Kennedy notes that, due to their cap situation, the Nets are a "long shot," I'd classify Brooklyn's odds of landing Howard as even more miniscule than that.
  • Mark Hale of the New York Post notes that Jason Kidd has said there's no guarantee he'll finish his current three-year contract, and wonders if Kidd's struggles during this postseason could influence a retirement decision.

Michael Pina contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: NBPA, James, Datome, Love

April 25th, 2013 at 9:01pm CST by Ryan Raroque
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets that the U.S. Attorney's office has indicted Prim Capital for falsifying a document to defraud the NBPA of $3MM. Wojnarowski provided a link to the full press release earlier as well. Prim Capital, in which the son of former NBPA executive director Billy Hunter was vice president, previously had a consulting contract with the player's union that was later deemed fraudulent by the U.S. Attorney's office. Here are more of tonight's odds and ends:
  • Knicks guard Jason Kidd credits Kenyon Martin for "saving our season," writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. It is difficult to imagine where New York would have been without Martin's contributions, especially as the team has dealt with plenty of injuries in their frontcourt. 
  • Eric Koreen of the National Post outlines the top ten legacies that are on the line during the NBA playoffs. 
  • Jon Humbert of KOMO tweets that the Longshore Union filed an appeal over the land use challenge for the Seattle arena. Last month, a report from The Seattle Times (via the Associated press) said that the Longshoremen have been in staunch opposition of an arena being built near the Seattle waterfront, due to the congestion of the area that would be caused by athletic events. 
  • Mike James proved to be a viable pickup for the Mavericks this season, averaging 8.1 PPG and 4.2 APG while helping the team finish 15-8 over their final 23 games. Although James said recently that he'd like to play two more seasons with the Mavs, Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas discusses why the Amityville product doesn't figure to be in the team's long-term plans.
  • Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace is expected to travel to Rome next week to scout Gigi Datome, according to Sportando.net (hat tip to Il Corriere dello Sport).  
  • Following up on a hypothetical trade proposed by Grantland's Bill
    Simmons, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com examines the possibility of
    the Bulls trying to trade for Kevin Love, exploring whether a package of
    Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, the rights to Nikola Mirotic, and
    Charlotte's first-round pick would be more than Chicago would be willing
    to give up.
  • Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at the evolution of Paul George into an All-Star and a leader in the Pacers locker room. 
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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Martin, Sixers, Turner

March 24th, 2013 at 10:41am CST by Zachary Links

After struggling to find an NBA team for much of the season, Kenyon Martin has found a home with the Knicks.  The veteran forward has proven to be a vital piece for New York down the stretch and K-Mart says that he wants to return next season.  While one would have thought that he would have gotten a return invite from the Clippers last year, it’s hard to see the Knicks not making an effort to re-sign Martin if he keeps playing like this.  Let’s head over to 7th Ave and work our way out to the rest of the Atlantic..

  • Knicks coach Mike Woodson sounds confident that Jason Kidd can play out the remaining two years on his contract, but the point guard isn’t quite as sure, writes Zach Braziller of the New York Post.  “We’re going to revisit [it],” he said. “We [would] love to make it to 42, but we have to be realistic. If the body and mind can’t compete at the same time, then I got to move to the side and watch these younger guys play. But I feel great.”
  • While the Sixers‘ biggest decision this summer may be in regards to Andrew Bynum, they’ll also have to figure out what their future will be with Evan Turner, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media.  Turner doesn’t merit a deal like Jrue Holiday‘s four-year, $44MM contract and he probably won’t want to take something signficantly cheaper.  Philly can trigger Turner’s $8.7MM qualifying offer for 2014/15 to give them the right to match anyone else’s deal.
  • With the Nets, Kidd and Martin used to get notoriously fired up to beat the crosstown rival Knicks.  Martin never imagined that the two would be reunited in blue-and-orange, but he’s happy about it nonetheless, writes Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press.
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Odds & Ends: Yi, McGrady, Turkoglu

March 23rd, 2013 at 5:47pm CST by Ryan Raroque
A handful of players have joined the NBA after finishing their season in China, and Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops wonders if Yi Jianlian could attract some attention after dominating in the CBA thus far. The former NBA lottery pick has averaged 24.9 PPG and 10.5 RPG while shooting 59.4% from the field and 40.7% from long distance for the Guangdong Southern Tigers this year, and is currently playing in the CBA Finals.  We've got several more links to share with you this evening:
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Eastern Notes: Knicks, Kidd, Wizards, Wall, Rose

March 22nd, 2013 at 5:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Heat signed Juwan Howard for the remainder of the season after the big man completed his second 10-day contract with the team.  “He brings credible, veteran leadership [to the team],” coach Erik Spoelstra said, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter).  While a team in Miami’s position would typically be in cruise control at this stage of the season, there’s a winning streak to protect, so we may not see Howard on the hardwood anytime soon.  Here’s more from the conference that people once dismissed as the JV portion of the league..

  • Several people close to Knicks guard Jason Kidd wouldn’t be surprised if he calls it a career after this season, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.  The future Hall of Famer, who says that he hasn’t made up his mind yet, will celebrate his 40th birthday tomorrow.  Kidd’s deal with the Knicks runs through 2014/15.
  • Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) asks how much Wizards guard John Wall is worth.  Wall only has one more year on his rookie scale contract, meaning that Washington can work out an extension with him this summer.  The Wizards could give him a five-year deal with the designated-player exception but they may instead decide to hold on to it for Bradley Beal.
  • In his latest mailbag, NBA.com’s Sam Smith writes that he doesn’t see Derrick Rose making the Bulls title contenders if he returns this season.  The star guard would have to ease his way back into playing and likely couldn’t be as much of a factor in limited playing time.
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