The Suns traded Kidd for Marbury to get younger and to find a shooter who could score down the stretch.

If the Nets decide to trade Kidd or Carter, who are each on the roster for the Eastern Conference for the All-Star Game on Sunday in Las Vegas, they will undoubtedly be signaling that they are looking to rebuild.

At least the Nets saved the expense of a new recording last week when they decided not to trade Kidd to the Lakers.

Whether teams will be able to absorb his salary will determine if the Nets can trade Kidd and start looking toward the future.

The consideration is real now, along with the move to trade Kidd.

Although the Nets' president, Rod Thorn, has maintained that it was unlikely that he would trade Kidd or Carter by the deadline, the possibility still seemed quite real Wednesday night, even to Kidd.

Ultimately, the Nets' decision comes down to this: If they take that first big step toward rebuilding by trading Kidd, can they stay competitive after the breakup of a team that once had lofty expectations?

He pleaded publicly with the Suns not to trade him; they traded Kidd, who scored 10 points tonight, after he was arrested for domestic abuse.

Ratner does not want to trade Kidd, who has five years and $90 million left on his contract.

Colangelo traded Kidd for Stephon Marbury in June.