The San Antonio Spurs came remarkably close to pulling off one of the biggest signings in franchise history in 2003. Before their dynasty was fully established around Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, the Spurs nearly landed Jason Kidd, widely regarded as the NBA’s best point guard at the time.
Speaking on the “All The Smoke” podcast, Kidd revealed that he was on the verge of signing with San Antonio shortly after the Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in the 2003 NBA Finals.
“I was in. The only thing that held me up was having to sit there and watch you guys get your rings after we had just lost to you. But that’s just one game. We’d get past it, and we’d have more opportunities to win.”
Instead, Kidd chose to remain loyal to the team he had helped build.
“It was about loyalty. We had built something in Jersey, and I thought we could get there.”
However, the veteran guard admitted he wasn’t aware of the organization’s long-term plans.
“I didn’t know the business side of what was coming. They started talking about trading Kenyon Martin the following year, and things fell apart pretty fast.”
Looking back, Kidd acknowledged just how close the move came to happening.
“To be a Spur, I was very, very close.”
Had the deal been completed, San Antonio would likely have moved on from Tony Parker, who instead went on to become one of the cornerstones of the Spurs’ championship dynasty alongside Duncan and Ginobili.
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