On Friday, for the first time since his off-season knee surgery, Jason Kidd is expected to practice with the Nets.

Rod Thorn, the team president, and Coach Lawrence Frank left open the possibility Wednesday that Kidd could see action on Saturday night at Continental Arena against the Atlanta Hawks.

Frank said he would have a better idea following practice Friday. Frank said he would have to weigh two options in deciding when Kidd would return in a game.

"Do you wait until you can get enough practice time in?" Frank said Wednesday. "And during the season, your opportunity to practice is few and far between. Or do you see what he's like after a practice or two, then slowly integrate him back into the mix?"

The overriding question surrounding Kidd is whether the Nets will grant his wish by trading him to a contender.

"When he comes back, I'm sure there will be a lot of speculation," Thorn said in Washington on Wednesday before the Nets were thrashed by the Wizards.

Thorn declined to comment on the nature of his conversations with Kidd in the aftermath of the Nets' off-season of cost-cutting moves. The team traded Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles, leading Kidd to ask to be traded as well.