(details from the Dallas Morning News)

Well, it is official.  Jason Kidd signed a 9 year contract worth a
little under $60 million.  He also supposedly received a $1 million
signing bonus and will receive more than $3 million for the first
year.  The contract does _not_ include the opt-out clause [clap, clap,
clap!].  To reach the deal, the team renounced the rights to Fat
Lever, Tony Campbell, and Randy White (those were all the big 
available slots).  This also (briefly) put the Mavs under the salary
cap - meaning they could combine salary slots.  The contract also 
(supposedly - the team didn't release details) includes incentives 
that, if reached, allow for the contract to be restructure after 6 
years.  One of the incentives was mentioned as being named to the 
All-NBA first team in consecutive years.  

Management does right (amazingly):  When it became apparent that a
signing was possible, GM Norm Sonju postponed his vacation to
Switzerland.  Sonju was also thrilled to have Kidd signed before
Labor Day.  His original thinking was that they would be able to
sign him in October.

The bad news:  This leaves very little money for our other first
round draft pick, Tony Dumas.  The Mavs are prepared to renounce
the rights to Tim Legler ($250,000) and Greg Dreiling ($300,000)
to make an offer to Dumas.  This offer does have a time limit.  As
soon as Roy Tarpley is reinstated by the league, the Mavs are 
planning on re-signing him ($2.5 to 3 million) and that will put
them over the cap.  Once that occurs, the Mavs will only be able
to offer Dumas a 1 year, $200,000 contract.  Dumas and his agent
do have a little bit of time as NBA general counsel Joel Little
said last week that it would be at least 2 to 3 weeks before a
decision was made on Tarpley.

Seeing that the Mavs had no money left for him, Deon Thomas, Mavs'
second round draft pick, signed a contract with TDK Manresa of
the Spanish Pro League.


patricia