Knicks to meet with free agent point guard Jason Kidd on Wednesday BY Frank Isola DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Tuesday, June 30th 2009, 4:00 AM Jason Kidd plans to meet with Knicks officials Wednesday morning, opening day of the free agent recruiting period. A league source told the Daily News Monday night that Kidd is scheduled to sit down with Knicks president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D'Antoni early Wednesday. Kidd said in January that he would strongly consider signing with the Knicks. Kidd, who helped the Nets reach back-to-back NBA Finals before being traded to Dallas two years ago, is giving the Mavericks the first chance to re-sign him. The future Hall of Fame point guard will speak with Dallas officials before he talks to the Knicks. It is believed that Kidd also will talk to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Knicks could sign Kidd to the mid-level exception or try to negotiate a sign-and-trade with Dallas. Since the Mavs traded Devin Harris two seasons ago for Kidd, Dallas figures to make a strong push to re-sign Kidd or at least get compensation for having mortgaged its future. The Knicks' interest in signing Kidd is twofold. Team president Donnie Walsh is looking for an experienced floor leader as well as a player who could help recruit LeBron James should the Cavaliers' superstar and league MVP become a free agent next summer. Kidd would be an upgrade over incumbent starting point guard Chris Duhon, but there are obvious risks attached to signing a 37-year-old player. And the Knicks also have to ask themselves why Kidd is so interested in joining a team that isn't vying for a championship. The obvious concern is that Kidd simply wants to spend his twilight years living and going out in Manhattan. If the Knicks don't land Kidd, another option is restricted free agent Ramon Sessions, to whom the Bucks made a qualifying offer yesterday, enabling Milwaukee to match any bid. The Knicks did the same with their two restricted free agents, David Lee and Nate Robinson. When asked last week if he would follow the time-honored tradition of contacting free agents at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, Walsh replied: "Do you really want me to call you at 12:01? Is it that important to you?" Walsh added with a laugh, "If it's that important to you, I'll call at 12:01." Walsh maintains that his goal is to re-sign both Lee and Robinson, but the club is also open to a sign-and-trade with either player. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ 2009/06/30/2009-06-30_knicks_meeting_wednesday_with_ free_agent_point_guard_former_net_jason_kidd.html --

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