To quote the famous Ronald Reagan campaign ad “it’s morning in America.” And this morning all of America’s die-hard NBA fans woke up to the announcement of a blockbuster NBA trade. The “Deron Williams deal,” is the huge deal everyone was expecting as the trade deadline approached, and it’s now a new morning in Deron Williams’ career.
The deal is done. Utah receives New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris and Derrick Favors, who they selected with their lottery pick this season. The Jazz also get….
By Paul M. Banks
….two first-round draft picks, and $3 million from the Nets.
According to Fox Sports
As part of the deal, the Nets would also send big man Troy Murphy and his expiring contract to Golden State for center Dan Gadzuric and forward Brandan Wright.
Golden State is expected to buy out the remaining months on Murphy’s contract, making him a free agent who would likely be pursued by contending teams like Miami and Boston.
So much for all that talk about D. Will joining Amare and Melo in New York to form a “Miami Heat version 2.0,” as was rumored just a few days ago. The formation of a second super team was thwarted by the New Jersey Nets who were insistent on acquiring a superstar in response to losing out on Carmelo Anthony in an East Coast arms race with the Knicks.
We knew Williams’ days in Utah were numbered shortly after he helped force Jerry Sloan out of Utah, and then went on a PR offensive shortly afterward. Still we thought this transaction would probably come much later. And his move to the Nets was unexpected. Since they’re partially owned by Jay-Z, you could say that he’s got “99 problems, but a point guard ain’t one,” and he’ll likely need to reference Williams instead of Wade, Jordan, and Lebron in his future hip-hop lyrics.
It’s also a fascinating deal for Big Ten fans, as arguably the best pro in Illinois Fighting Illini and Wisconsin Badgers history were swapped for one another. We’ll have much more on this deal later today: how it affects Williams’ reputation as the best point guard in the NBA, how this affects all three teams in more detail..etc.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net. He is also a regular contributor to the Tribune’s Chicago Now network, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com
He does a weekly radio segment on Chicagoland Sports Radio.com and Cleveland.com
You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank