With Parker There, What’s the Point of Pursuing Kidd?

The Jason Kidd-Tony Parker point guard matchup in the NBA Finals gets more intriguing with every game. You can plot the future of two franchises -- three, if you include the indirect impact on the Lakers -- with every spin move, crossover dribble and no-look pass.

Kidd will be a free agent this summer, and there has been rampant speculation that the New Jersey Net star could leave the Meadowlands and go to San Antonio for a chance to play with Tim Duncan. In that case, the Nets would go back to their existence as forgotten swamp denizens, like the currently unemployed Budweiser frogs.

David Robinson’s retirement will help the Spurs to clear $14 million to $15 million in salary-cap room. That would make San Antonio the high roller popping bottles in the VIP section of the club when it comes to the free-agent market this summer.

Kidd’s the best point guard in the league right now, yet Parker has played so well that Kidd might not be necessary for San Antonio.

The Spurs are almost unbeatable when Parker scores 20 points or more. They sported a 20-1 record when he scored 20 in the regular season, and are 5-1 in the playoffs when he reaches the magic mark.

The one loss came Friday night, and it sure wasn’t Parker’s fault. His 21 points where almost enough to lift the Spurs against the dead weight of Tim Duncan’s seven missed free throws. Parker scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter on an assortment of shots in the lane, including one in which he showed more hang time than Kidd, waiting until the very last second to release the ball.

In the first two games of the series, which is tied, 1-1, Parker is averaging 18.5 points and shooting 15 for 31 against the man who would replace him.

When asked if he felt he was auditioning for a gig next season, Parker said “Not really. I play all season long, try to do my best. We had the best record in the league, and now we’re in the NBA Finals. I don’t think I need to prove anything to the Spurs. It’s their decision, to keep me or not. I don’t think I have to prove something.”

If they can win a championship with Parker, why spend money to upgrade a position that’s already in good hands? They have every right to expect improvement from Parker. He’s only 21, in his second season in the league. Imagine how good he’ll be after emerging from the blast furnace of the NBA Finals, and with a better understanding of his teammates.

Parker and Kidd have different priorities. Kidd is at his best pushing the ball and finding his teammates on the fastbreak, or lobbing alley-oop passes in the half-court set. He led the league in assists, averaging 8.9.

Parker’s 5.3 assists per game could not crack the league’s top 20. Parker is more effective as a scorer, either knocking down jump shots or through penetration, which he appears to do at will.

Duncan handles most of the “quarterback” duties, as Coach Gregg Popovich described it after Game 1. When opponents collapse on him he can pass to teammates for open jump shots or initiate a passing sequence that leads to an easy shot on the other side of the court.

Praise has come from many corners, including Kidd.

The Spurs could throw a lot of salt in the Lakers’ plans this summer if they make a big man their top priority.

The Indiana Pacers’ Jermaine O’Neal would the best fit for them, because he’s an intimidating interior defender who would allow them to continue in their current mode. The key to their defense is, if you get by one 7-footer, there’s another one waiting. They’re almost always in position to do something. So even if the opponent makes a nice play and gets close to the basket, the Spurs can nullify it -- sometimes scaring people off before they can even attempt a shot.

But the hometown advantage built into the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement gives Indiana the ability to pay O’Neal $30 million more than anyone else over the course of his next contract. Plus, O’Neal would get top billing with the Pacers; his name would be below Duncan’s on the Spurs’ marquee.

If O’Neal decides to stay in Indiana, then the Spurs move down the list, and it won’t be too long before they get to players the Lakers hope to land. The options might not be too plentiful, anyway. Maybe P.J. Brown of the New Orleans Hornets wants to stay close to his family in Louisiana.

What about Juwan Howard of the Denver Nuggets? The Lakers hope he has banked enough of his just-ended $105-million contract that he will take less money for a shot at a championship. Because the Lakers are over the salary cap, the most they could offer would be the $4.5-million exception for his first-year salary. Well, the Spurs could offer him a chance to win a ring and make more money, perhaps twice as much in the first year.

Then the only edge for the Lakers would be lifestyle, and the hope that Howard prefers the Venice Beach boardwalk to San Antonio’s River Walk.

At one time, San Antonio was expected to make a bid for the Clippers’ Michael Olowokandi. But you don’t hear Olowokandi’s name mentioned in connection with the Spurs anymore, not after Olowokandi’s disappointing, injury-shortened season.

The Lakers will be watching to see what move the Spurs make. As is the case with any basketball play, the action begins with the point guard.

J.A. Adande can be reached at: j.a.adande@latimes.com.