By Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY
Updated 8h 34m ago
By Dusan Vranic, AP
That's because Kidd reportedly plans to join coveted free agentDeron Williams ... (wait for it) ... wherever he decides to go.
Williams, who narrowed his choices down to the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks last week, plans to meet with both the teams Monday before deciding which team to sign with in July, according to an ESPN.com report. Williams said he wants to make the decision on his future before training camp for the U.S. Olympic team starts July 7. Free agency begins Sunday.
Kidd, in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career at 39, has expressed serious interest in being Williams' backup at point guard, whether that be with the team he won an NBA title with (Mavericks) or the team he took to two NBA finals with (Nets).
The point guard duo established a friendship playing together on Team USA during the Beijing Olympics in 2008. They're both spending the weekend playing golf together in New York's Hamptons. Kidd reportedly purchased a house in East Hampton.
Both Williams and Kidd teased their Twitter followers earlier this week on the idea of playing together.
"Just finished playing East Hampton Golf Club w/@RealJasonKidd let the speculation begin?????" Williams tweeted.
"@DeronWilliams since you won that means we're going to ............," Kidd tweeted.
While reports have had Williams either staying with the Nets or seriously considering the Mavericks, nothing is finalized yet.
Both teams have a lot to offer to Williams. The Mavericks are his hometown team, while the Nets have moved to a new city in Brooklyn. And let's not forget, both teams have billionaire owners in Mark Cuban and Mikhail Prokhorov.
And both teams have made marketing pitches. On Williams' 28th Birthday, the Nets sent a billboard with a Brooklyn Nets logo that ready "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DERON! from your Brooklyn family" on the side of it to his Brooklyn apartment. Williams' wife, Amy, tweeted the sign. As a counterattack, the Texas Rangers assisted the Mavs' pursuit by wishing Williams happy birthday on the stadium scoreboard.
As a possible indicator of which way Williams is leaning, Nets coach Avery Johnson was a member of Williams' guest party of less than 10 at his birthday dinner.
On Saturday, Dirk Nowitzki said he will hear of the news of where Williams lands while he's watching Wimbledon tennis in England.
"(Williams) already knows how I feel about him," Nowitzki told ESPNDallas.com. "I don't need to fly there."
See photos of: Jason Kidd, Deron Williams
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