I guess one of the "glitches" a front office source involved in the Jason Kidd trade mentioned to me a couple of hours ago involved Devean George.
In a stunning turn of events, George does not want to consent to the trade because he would lose his Bird rights as a player in the last year of his contract. Bird rights allow a player to re-sign with his current team for more money than he can get on the open market.
Unless George changes his mind, the Mavericks are going to have to put someone else in the deal who makes about what he makes -- $2.4 million. Dallas doesn't have anyone else making that money, so the Nets are going to have to put someone else in, too.
"We’re not trying to block anything," George's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told Newsday. "We're not trying to cause any problems. That’s not the goal. The goal is simply this: It’s a huge decision for Devean. In order to agree to the trade, he has to give up his Bird rights. That’s something I need to be able to have to do a good job with him."
George was to have been one of four players going to New Jersey for Kidd and forward Malik Allen. The teams agreed in principle to the deal, which also would send $3 million cash and two first-round picks to the Nets.
More to come ...
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More updates, please!