Don’t Count On Cleveland Cavaliers & LeBron James Acquiring Jason Kidd

My AM Take: LeBron James wants Jason Kidd. Cleveland’s fans want Kidd. The Cavaliers’ front office wants Kidd. Heck, I want Mr. Triple-Double in Ohio, too.

But wanting and having are different things; in reality, Cleveland probably lacks the assets to acquire the All-Star from the New Jersey Nets.
 
First, the Nets -with Vince Carter scheduled to earn 46 million dollars over the next 3 seasons- need cap relief. Yet, Cleveland has no expiring contracts to offer, so New Jersey would have to take the Cavs’ bad contracts ( Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, and Donyell Marshall come to mind ) to make any trade work. This won’t happen.

Second, the Nets want young talent for Kidd. The Cavaliers possess a pair of promising players in post Anderson Varejao and combo guard ’Boobie’ Gibson. But Varejao can’t be traded because he recently inked a three year, 16 million dollar deal.

Third, the Cavaliers have options at point guard. Sure, Kidd remains the best option, but Andre Miller and Mike Bibby are available at a cheaper price. Miller makes half Kidd’s salary; while Bibby has one full year left on his deal for 14.5 million dollars. 

Fourth, the Nets have another suitor-the Dallas Mavericks. Contrary to what their owner says, Team Cuban is interested in Kidd. And they’ve got young talent to offer in Devin Harris.

Kidd and James together in Cleveland. It has a ring to it. And stat-guys would be busy tracking their rebounds, dimes, and points. Unfortuantely, it seems unlikely.

Does Cleveland have a shot at Kidd? Let us know in the comment box below or hit us up in our fan forum. The AM Take is Oly’s morning thoughts on the NBA, appearing Sunday through Friday on HoopsVibe.com. Errors can be attributed to the time and his need for another coffee. Click here to get his AM Take and subscribe to his blog.