Feb. 19, 2008 - The Dallas Mavericks' trade for Jason Kidd has finally gone through in a restructured, eight-player deal that approved by the league on Tuesday. The Mavs received Kidd, forward Malik Allen and guard/forward Antoine Wright for five players, first-round picks in 2008 and 2010 and cash.

By Dustin Hockensmith
Fantasy Sports 101 Basketball

The Dallas Mavericks' trade for Jason Kidd has finally gone through in a restructured, eight-player deal approved by the league office on Tuesday. The Mavs received Kidd, forward Malik Allen and guard/forward Antoine Wright from the Nets in exchange for five players, two picks and cash.

Fourth-year point guard Devin Harris was the focal point of the deal for New Jersey, who also receives guard Trenton Hassell and Maurice Ager, center DeSagana Diop, retired Keith Van Horn, first round picks in 2008 and 2010, and cash.

In order to complete the deal, Van Horn had to sign with the Mavs and agree to be traded back to New Jersey, where he will likely never suit up.

The deal first hit a roadblock last week when Devean George, part of the original proposed deal, was advised to block the trade by agent Mark Bartelstein. He never backed away from his stance, and the two teams reconfigured the deal using Van Horn to make the numbers work.

The Mavs haven't mortgaged an obscene amount of their future for Kidd, though Harris is a player they loved and the first-round picks make it more difficult to stock the organization from the ground up. Dallas holds suit with the Lakers and Suns by completing yet another blockbuster deal that reshapes the Western Conference landscape.

We'll have to wait and see who the big winners are in fantasy. Kidd's near triple-double averages aren't likely to go anywhere, but he'll have Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard in better positions to score. Another scorer in Stackhouse leaves town, which will leave a handful of more shots for Nowitzki, Howard and Jason Terry.

On the New Jersey side, Harris, who is sidelined with a sore ankle, will be the Nets' new franchise point guard. Those looking for a breakout from Marcus Williams will be seriously disappointed that starting duties won't be there for him into the foreseeable future. Williams will, however, be the likely starter until Harris is healthy, which should come shortly after the All-Star Break.

My Take
New Jersey was between a rock and a hard place with Kidd and lucked out when Los Angeles and Phoenix both swung deals that put pressure on the other Western Conference contenders. Harris is a highly touted player within basketball circles, and is a nice piece for New Jersey moving forward. The two picks, two expiring contracts and cash should help speed up the rebuilding process. For Dallas, the trio of Kidd, Nowitzki and Howard needs to mesh well because the rest of its roster looks awfully thin.