The New Jersey Nets have acquired Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz in a stunning multi-player trade, according Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The deal apparently looks like this:
The Nets receive Williams, who is one of the game’s best point guards. Rookie forward Derrick Favors and point guard Devin Harris will go from New Jersey to Utah, along with a pair of first-round draft picks. In what is being reported by Yahoo! as a separate deal, the Nets will send virtually unused forward Troy Murphy to Golden State and will receive Dan Gadzuric from the Warriors.
"We are very excited to add a player the caliber of Deron Williams to our roster," said Nets General Manager Billy King. "He is one of the premier point guards in the NBA, and his skill and talent level will bolster our franchise as we continue to build towards our goal of becoming a championship-caliber team."
Williams is a two-time All-Star who had been unhappy recently with the Jazz. His falling-out with coach Jerry Sloan is believed to be part of the reason the coach resigned, and the Jazz apparently felt Williams would leave the team as a free agent in 2012.
The Nets struck quickly to acquire a star player after failing to convince Carmelo Anthony to sign an extension with them and watching him go to the New Jersey Nets. Williams, 26, is averaging 21.3 points and 9.7 assists this season and will give the Nets a player to build and market around when they move the franchise to Brooklyn in 2012.
It also tweaks the Knicks a bit because there has been widespread discussion that the Knicks wanted to try and add either either Williams or Chris Paul of New Orleans when they become free agents. Williams is not yet eligible to sign an extension, so Mikhail Prokhorov will need to wait before locking up his new point guard long-term.