Jason Kidd to the Lakers Would Be Pointless

In the middle of a playoff column by SI's Chris Mannix, Jason Kidd's performance in the Mavericks' first round series win over the Spurs is mentioned as a reason that the 35-year old point guard might land himself a multi-year deal in free agency this summer. We have no argument with this, as there are plenty of teams that could use the stylings of Kidd as a way to boost them to another level of playoff contention.

The Lakers, however, are not one of those teams. And the problem is, the column throws it out there that L.A. (and Cleveland) would be the "biggest suitors" for Kidd's services once he hits the open market. The relevant passage is as follows:

[Kidd] averaged 10 points and 5.6 assists in Dallas's five-game thumping of the Spurs ... More than that, he looked like the same floor leader who led the Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals.

The market is too unpredictable to even guess how much Kidd is worth now (though Cleveland and the Lakers figure to be his biggest suitors), but even at 35, I don't think any team in the league will blink at offering him a multiyear contract.

Why would the Lakers have any interest in Kidd? They already have a 30-something point guard in Derek Fisher. And although Fisher's play has been spotty at best lately, he's averaging 9.4 points and three assists per game this post-season, which is similar enough to Kidd's numbers that the upgrade seems unnecessary.

The Lakers don't run a traditional offense, so they have no need for a traditional point guard. Now, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be on the lookout for a younger player that would be more of a long-term solution at the position, because they absolutely should be. Jordan Farmar was supposed to be that guy, but due to injury or whatever else he seems to have taken a step back this season.

L.A. needs to go younger at the point guard position, not older. And since Kidd will likely command a minimum deal of two to three years to get him signed, it seems to be an expensive and somewhat lateral move that the Lakers should logically have no interest in making.

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