Ratner Wants the Nets to Keep Carter and Kidd
Bruce C. Ratner, the principal owner of the Nets, said he “wouldn’t be a happy camper” if the team were to lose Jason Kidd or Vince Carter, its star players.
That is why, Ratner said yesterday, he was relieved when neither was traded at last Thursday’s deadline. He said he hoped the team would re-sign Carter, who can opt out of the final year of his contract at the end of the season.
“I’ve come to appreciate both of those players,” Ratner said during a lunch with several reporters in Manhattan. “I think that it’s very important to sign Vince. Without Vince, I’m not optimistic on how our record would be.”
Ratner, determined not to repeat mistakes, said he was willing to open his pocketbook to keep Carter.
“If we have to go over the luxury tax, we’ll be over the luxury tax,” he said. “We’re not going to go way out of market.”
