After spending four and a half seasons as teammates with Jason Kidd on the Mavericks and winning an NBA championship together, Dirk Nowitzki was understandably upset that Kidd chose to sign with the Knicks in free agency. He specifically says it was the surprising nature of Kidd’s decision that frustrated him.
“He didn’t call me,” Nowitzki said, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “I had no reception in Africa where I was. So I only checked my phone once a day. On the day before, he said he was coming, and I think that’s what Mark (Cuban) was a little upset about. He basically said he’s coming back and a day later said he wasn’t coming. It was frustrating. I told him we’d love to have him back and love to have him retire here, but he made a decision he felt was best for his family. I respected that and we move forward. I wish him luck.”
Despite being frustrated and surprised by Kidd’s decision, Dirk is at least handling things in a mature matter. Team owner Mark Cuban on the other hand admitted he was “pissed” at Kidd, and said he wouldn’t want to retire the point guard’s jersey as a result.
We can never get mad at a player for choosing one team over another in free agency, but it’s understandable why Dallas was upset with Kidd. He appeared to lead them on before choosing another team. It seems like karma is already catching up with him anyhow.
