“I thought I was going to be a Spur,” said Jason Kidd as he spoke with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk about Tim Duncan‘s retirement. “I committed when I was down there on my visit [to San Antonio]. On my flight home, I think I got cold feet,” continued Kidd.
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When Kidd was a free agent during the summer of 2003, he almost pulled the same move that Kevin Durant pulled this year. Back 13 years ago, the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets in the Finals in six games, spurred by Duncan’s insane averages of 24.2 points, 17 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 5.3 blocks. Kidd was a sought after free agent that summer, and nearly teamed up with the guy who had crushed his dream of winning an NBA championship.
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Kidd told San Antonio that he would be signing with the team, but elected to stay in New Jersey and signed a six-year, $103 million deal that was full of regrets. He elaborated, saying it was “the biggest disappointment” and that he didn’t know how many championships he left on the table.
Fortunately, Kidd was able to win his first and only title with the Mavericks in 2011 after having several stellar years with the Nets, who ultimately ruined their chances of going back to the Finals when they went under new ownership.
It’s arguable that Kidd is one of the top players in Nets history after averaging 14.6 points, 9.1 assists, and 7.2 rebounds over his seven seasons with them.
Data courtesy of Basketball-Reference
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