Jason Kidd Wants to Be Deron Williams’ Backup

Deron Williams will be one of the most prized NBA free agents next summer, and Jason Kidd is already recruiting him to the Dallas Mavericks on the low through the media. Per ESPN: “Of course, there’s plenty of buzz swirling around a possible return home next summer for Williams to play for Mark Cuban’s club. Kidd wants to go two more years to play a 20th season at 40 years old. Kidd said he took some lumps playing golf with Williams over the summer, but the sting has eased, said Kidd, who would welcome Williams to Dallas — and hand him the baton that is Kidd’s starting job. ‘It would be great to back him up,’ Kidd said Monday night, ‘wherever he’s at.’ Kidd politely smiled as he answered a question about a possible return to the Nets through free agency to join Williams in Brooklyn, but that would certainly seem to be a long shot. (Now, if Jersey winds up making an increasingly doubtful-looking trade to acquire Dwight Howard, then we’ll revisit the subject. Of course, if the Nets believe they have no shot at Howard and believe Williams will walk, they could look to move him before the March trade deadline.) Kidd certainly knows what it’s like to feel blue in Jersey. Traded last season from Utah after Jerry Sloan abruptly retired, Williams is clearly have a tough time playing on Avery Johnson’s team that is 3-11 and offers little hope on the horizon … Kidd said he’s been thinking about Williams through this difficult opening stretch. ‘I was going to give him a call and just tell him to stay positive and keep teaching while you’re playing,’ Kidd said. ‘He’s got a young team. They’re going to make some adjustments, but they’re definitely looking towards the future in the sense of going into Brooklyn.’”