When Vince Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets in December 2004, he was making his way to a team that was just one year removed from making back-to-back finals appearance.
At the time, the Nets were led by Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, so the addition of Carter was seen as a perfect fit for a Nets offense that loved to run the fast break.
Carter wasn't sure exactly how to accommodate Kidd and the rest of the Nets roster when he first arrived, but Kidd quickly eased any concerns he may have had:
“I remember just saying, ‘I’m just trying to fit in,'” said Carter during a question-and-answer session with Michael Scotto of The Athletic. “Jason Kidd said, ‘No. I need you to be who you are, and we’ll adjust to you.' It was just a pretty cool situation. You get there, and you know who Kidd is. He’s a Hall of Fame player, and you saw the success and the up-and-coming star Jefferson was becoming as a two-way player on both ends, and a transition guy who could get out and finish and you just wanted to fit in with what was going on.”
Carter ended up playing four-and-a-half years with New Jersey and fit in just fine, making four All-Star teams.
As a matter of fact, after averaging just 15.9 points over 20 games with the Raptors during the 2004-05 campaign, Carter proceeded to post 27.5 points across 57 contests with the Nets, shooting 46.2 percent from the floor, 42.5 percent from three-point range and 81.7 percent from the free-throw line.
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