Thorn added that with the development of second-year guard Marcus Williams as Kidd’s backup, the Nets would “probably not” require a point guard to be part of a deal for Kidd.

“We feel Marcus Williams has a future here and in the league,” he said.

Kidd’s agent, Jeffrey Schwartz, did not respond to a phone message Tuesday.

Trade speculation has followed Kidd since last February when the Nets were close to making a deal that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In December, Kidd sat out a game against the New York Knicks with a migraine, a move suspected by some to be a one-day walkout to force a trade or new contract.

At a news conference, Kidd denied those were his motives, saying, “I am having one of my best seasons — why would I want to be asked to be traded? And as a team, we are doing better than last year.”

New Jersey was 9-10 at the time. Since then, the team has dropped 16 of 25 games to fall to 18-26.

Kidd was acquired in a trade with Phoenix in 2001 and led the Nets to the NBA finals in 2002 and 2003. But his six-plus seasons have been tinged with off-court controversy.

His wife, Joumana, and their young son were subjected to taunts at Boston Garden in 2002 stemming from charges that he struck her in 2001 while playing for the Suns. Kidd was fined and underwent anger counseling.

Last year, both spouses filed restraining orders claiming physical abuse, and Joumana Kidd claimed in divorce papers that her husband cheated on her throughout their 10-year marriage.

In December, a 23-year-old model filed a lawsuit accusing Kidd of groping and threatening her at a Manhattan nightclub in October.

Those distractions have not affected Kidd on the court, according to Frank.

“One thing that is unique about Jason is his ability to separate anything else that goes on and, once he steps between those lines, give his best effort,” Frank said. “He’s proven that since he’s been here as he’s dealt with different things.”

The Nets’ lackluster play and Kidd’s apparent dissatisfaction haven’t stopped him from steadily moving up the NBA’s all-time records lists.

He leads the league in triple-doubles this season with 11 and has 98 for his career, third behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. He passed Johnson for fourth place on the career list for rebounds by a guard earlier this month, and became the sixth player to reach 9,000 assists.

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