Here's how we got to this point:

January 29th:

• Jason Kidd asks the Nets for a trade.
  "It used to be if I got a triple-double, that was an automatic win," he said. "That's just not the case now. We tried to make this work. We've found out it doesn't. It's time for us all to move on."
  Nets President Rod Thorn says they will only trade Kidd if it makes sense for them.
• 
  
• Jeff Caplan quotes Mark Cuban as saying the Mavs are not interested in finding a replacement for Harris.
  
  He also cites a New Jersey paper who is reporting that Dallas has offered Diop, Stackhouse, and George (but not Harris) for Kidd.
• 
  
• Stan McNeal of The Sporting News asks Mark Cuban if a Harris, Diop, Stackhouse, Juwan Howard, George for Kidd trade is possible. Mark Cuban tell him to "Step away from your crack dealer."

January 30th:

• ESPN starts reporting that Dallas, Portland, and New Jersey are working on a three team trade.
  According to league sources and sources close to the team, the Nets would get point guard Jarrett Jack, forwards Travis Outlaw and Channing Frye, a first-round pick and cash from Portland and Devean George, DeSagana Diop, Jerry Stackhouse, a No. 1 and cash from the Mavericks.
  
  Kidd would return to Dallas, where he started his career. The Mavericks also would get Malik Allen and Darrell Armstrong, the sources said. Portland would be getting at least point guard Devin Harris from Dallas.
  This is the first time Devin Harris is mentioned as being a possibility.
• 
  
• Eddie Sefko mentions the possibility of the Nets buying out Stackhouse after any trade.
  Several aspects of that proposal, including a possible buyout of the remainder of Stackhouse's three-year $21 million contract he signed in the summer, would make that deal problematic, to say the least.

January 31st:

• Marc Stein quotes sources as saying the the Nets/Mavs/Blazers trade is pretty much dead.

February 1st:

• Avery Johnson denies all rumors that the Mavs are trying to acquire Kidd.
  "We're not involved," Johnson told reporters. "Anybody has the right to throw out names and speculate, but we're not involved. That's all I can tell (the players). We're not involved. We like our team, we're moving forward with our team."
• 
  
• John Hollinger is so confused as to why the Mavs would trade Harris for Kidd that he wonders if it was all a New Jersey invention.
  In other words, when news of a deal gets leaked out to several New Jersey-based press members involving the Nets getting back several good young ones, two first-round picks, and significant cap relief, one has to wonder about the genesis of such reports.
  
  In particular, one has to wonder if the Nets aren't trying to drive up the price for Kidd by circulating information about a trade that seems preposterous from the vantage point of the other two teams.

February 7th:

• Donnie Nelson says a major trade isn't the way to go.
  "If you start doing that [tearing up the team] and reacting to what other people are doing or their way of thinking, I just think you're setting yourself up for failure. We're interested in the Mavs and what we do here, not the 29 other teams."

It looked like it was all over at this point. Then Dallas played the Nets in New Jersey.

February 10th:

• Dallas gets dismantled by the Nets and Jason Kidd (13 points, 14 assists, 6 rebounds) looks good in the process.

February 11th:

• Mark Cuban is asked why he was talking to the Nets Kiki Vandeweghe for 30 minutes before the previous nights game. His response:
  "We talked more about our wives and kids than anything else," Cuban said, in his usual cheery mood before the Mavericks were smashed, 101-82, by Kidd and the Nets. "But we wanted to let everyone see us talk, so you guys can freak out."
• 
  
• Mark Cuban says the finances involved in any Kidd trade make it almost impossible.
  The salary cap numbers don't add up.
  
  "For us to make the numbers work in a deal like that, we'd have to trade away half the team. We're not doing that, so it just doesn't work. And, we like our team. We've got a lot of room for improvement and we hope to get better. But right now, I just don't see anything happening."

February 13th

• Marc Stein breaks the story Wednesday afternoon that Dallas and the Nets have agreed in principle on a trade that would send Devin Harris, Gana Diop, Devean George, Jerry Stackhouse, Maurice Ager, two first round picks, and 3 million cash for Jason Kidd and Malik Allen. A second trade between the two teams would have Antoine Wright coming to Dallas for a second round pick.
• 
  
• Detail emerge throughout the day and it come out that Jerry Stackhouse will be bought out by New Jersey and resign with the Mavs after 30 days. Stackhouse tells the Dallas Morning News he is aware of that plan.
  "I feel great," said Stack, who is nursing a sore right hamstring. "I get 30 days to rest, then I'll be right back. I ain't going nowhere."
• 
  
• Avery Johnson is asked about the trade before the Mavs game against the Blazers and says he doesn't know what people are talking about.
  "What trade?" he said, trying to keep a straight face. "We've been hearing a lot of stuff. We've been hearing a lot of stuff for awhile now. But Mark and Donnie haven't informed me that anything has been completed."
  Lawrence Frank of the Nets isn't playing games though.
  "We're giving up a Hall of Fame point guard and two very good role players," Frank told reporters tonight, "and we've traded that for getting a young point guard with huge upside and some good complementary players as well as some future draft picks."
  The deal appears done.
• 
  
• During the first half of the Balzer game word leaks out that Devean George is exercising his right to reject being traded to the Nets.
• 
  
• After going 0-11 against Portland, George explained his decision.

February 14th:

• Marc Stein says despite Devean George's unwillingness to be traded to New Jersey the trade is very much alive. He says that either George will change his mind, or that Dallas will consider using Keith Van Horn in a sign-and-trade.
• 
  
• Eddie Sefko also reports that the trade is still alive, but doesn't expect anything to happen until after the All-Star break.

February 15th:

• Chris Broussard reports that if Jerry Stackhouse were to be traded to New Jersey the NBA would not allow him to resign with Dallas.
  "The league has taken Stackhouse out of the deal," the source said. "They said, 'He can be in the trade, but he can't go back to Dallas after that.' "
  
  The willingness of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to include Stackhouse in the trade was based on his knowledge that New Jersey would immediately buy him out of his contract, which would allow Stackhouse to re-sign with Dallas after 30 days.
  
  It was Stackhouse's brazen response to the potential trade on Wednesday that first put the league on notice.
  Dallas would reportedly be unwilling to make the trade if it meant losing Stackhouse permanently.

February 16th:

• New Jersey president Rod Thorn says he did not have pre-arranged agreement with Dallas to buy out Jerry Stackhouse.
  "I'm perfectly willing to take Stackhouse on my team. You can't make deals like that," he said. "Those are illegal. You can't do that. I'm not going to do it."
  
  "He knows whether he'd want to play for us or he wouldn't," Thorn said. "Until you get a player, you aren't allowed to make any deals."
• 
  
• Jason Kidd starts talking like someone who thinks he isn't going anywhere.
  "The nice thing is, I know everybody on the (Nets) team, so it shouldn't be a bad team. I'll just tell them, 'I'm back, I guess they didn't want me to go.' There's a lot of personality in that locker room, a lot of great guys that I've played with for seven years. It's an opportunity if I can go back and we can try to make the playoffs."
• 
  
• Eddie Sefko reiterates that the deal could still happen somehow, but not until after the All-Star break.
• 
  
• During pregame for All-Star Saturday, David Alrdige says the Mavs may be trying to use Van Horn and Vernon Maxwell in place of George and Stackhouse.
• 
  
• Marc Stein, who first broke the deal, quotes sources as saying that the chance of any deal is "going away", and the main reason is New Jersey's unwillingness to take back Trenton Hassell instead of Stackhouse.

February 17th:

• David Stern says that Dallas has not been told Stackhouse cannot re-sign with the Mavs, but that if he is included in any trade there will be an investigation to make sure there was not a prearranged agreement. Stern also says he has talked to both teams to make sure they are doing things "by the book".
• 
  
• Mark Cuban sends an unsolicited email out to reporters and simply says the trade is "still breathing".
• 
  
• Marc Stein breaks the news (again) that a trade is imminent (again). This version sees Keith Van Horn and Trenton Hassell replacing George and Stackhouse.

February 18th:

• Eddie Sefko says the deal is just waiting league approval which can't come until everyone is back from the All-Star festivities.
• 
  
• Jason Kidd, Malik Allen, and Antoine Wright are excused from Nets practice.
• 
  
• New Jersey and Dallas have agreed to terms, but there is still some question about Van Horn being willing to report to the Nets.
  "He wants some quiet time to reflect on it," Falk said. "He'll make a decision, but it's not going to be 'maybe,' or '70-30.' Either he'll do it or he won't. And we'll all know in the next 48 to 72 hours."
• 
  
• Late Monday night Nets President Rod Thorn sends an e-mail to a team VP saying the deal "appears to be a go" and that Van Horn has agreed to contract.

February 19th:

• Jeff Caplan reports that Devin Harris left for New Jersey Tuesday Morning.
• 
  
• The Mavs cut Nick Fazekas to sign Keith Van Horn.
• 
  
• Mark Cuban sends an e-mail to ESPN saying the deal is done.
  "It's done," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told ESPN.com via e-mail. "J-Kidd is a Mav.
• 
  
• The story hits the official Dallas Mavericks site. Ads on the site for Kidd jersey's show he will wear the number two.
• 
  
• After weeks of speculation this finally hits the NBA transaction page.
  Dallas signs Keith Van Horn and trades Van Horn, Devin Harris, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, DeSagana Diop, first-round draft choices in 2008 and 2010, and cash considerations to New Jersey for Jason Kidd, Malik Allen and Antoine Wright; waives Nick Fazekas.
• The Mavs introduce Kidd, Allen, and Wright at a 3:00PM press conference.