The New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) Nets have shocked the basketball world. A mere day after the Knicks landed Carmelo Anthony, the Nets got a better superstar for less. Just a week after the resignation of long-time head coach Jerry Sloan, Deron Williams has been traded from the Utah Jazz. As I posted earlier:
“The New Jersey Nets have traded Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, their #1 pick this year, Golden State’s #1 next year and $3 Million to the Utah Jazz for Deron Williams. The Nets are also sending Troy Murphy (he of the expiring contract) to Golden State for Dan Gadzuric and Brendan Wright.”
As with the Melo deal, let’s take a look at how this deal affects all the major parties.
The New Jersey Nets Outlook:
This is a great trade for the Nets, but not one without risk. The upside is, of course, that the Nets have a superstar. The downside is that he might be gone before the Nets get to Brooklyn. Deron Williams is a free-agent after the 2012 NBA Season, right when the Nets are headed to Brooklyn, and he is not extending his contract as part of this deal. There is a chance that he could up and leave the Nets with nothing for their investment. That’s still not a major concern. Let’s look at the possibilities.
If Deron Williams stays with the Nets, this is a coup. A top 5 point guard in the league, more likely top 3, Deron is a guy who makes teammates better, pass, shoot and defend. He’s an all around superstar for a team that hasn’t had one since Jason Kidd’s prime. He immediately helps make the Nets better as they try and develop their talent like Kris Humphries, Brendan Wright and Brook Lopez. If he stays, though, things get better.
With Deron, young talent galore, and a ton of cap room, the Nets could make a free agency splash. After the Summer of 2012 Dwight Howard will be looking for a home. Adding Dwight (or trading for him with the numerous assets still available) could give the Nets a new age dominant twin towers inside between Dwight and Brook Lopez, with an all-world caliber point to deliver the ball to them and floor spacers to make room for them to operate. It’s not hard to envision that as a championship caliber club, especially given how weak the Miami Heat are inside.
If the Nets don’t want to wait on Dwight there are, as always, other options. For these we can begin by looking at the Nugget free agent Denver didn’t trade, Nene. Zach Randolph is free after this, OJ Mayo after next. Hell, the Nets could even take a chance on Greg Oden. There are limitless options to build the team, especially when considering the next crop of superstars that will want out of unsavory situations. The Nets, with Deron, are a threat to grab any major free agent and contend, even if they need to unload a contract or two in order to do so.
Of course, Deron might not want to stay. If that’s the case, as we have just seen, teams will pay a hefty ransom for the rights to a superstar if they are contending, or to get that superstar to extend. If Deron won’t extend with the Nets, it simply isn’t the end of the world. He can easily be flipped for a package of assets similar to the one the Nets just let go.
The Nets also used Troy Murphy’s expiring contract to nab a very good young player. Dan Gadzuric as part of this deal is just to make salaries match, but the Nets, for a player they weren’t using and weren’t retaining, got a very useful stretch 4 who can really score. It will be fun to watch Brendan Wright in pick and pops with Deron.
The elephant in the room for the Nets is that their interior defense is absolutely abysmal. Humphries, Lopez and Wright would likely be, if not for the cross-river rivals, the worst defensive frontcourt in basketball. Luckily for the Nets, that’s something that can be addressed simultaneous to them nabbing another big free agent in trade or signing. This is just a fantastic deal for the Nets who could win 40+ games next year.
The Utah Jazz Outlook:
It now seems as if Jerry Sloan leaving was so as to not be a part of rebuilding, not because of his blowups with Deron. Glad that’s cleared up, even if only seemingly so.
The Jazz made out like bandits with this deal, likely to only be the first of several from them. First, they got Derrick Favors, a potentially great inside presence. He likely won’t fit with Paul Millisap and Al Jefferson on the interior, but both still have trade value, so it’s hardly a sunk cost. Add in the three likely lottery picks this deal generates between this and last year and things really begin to look up.
The Nets are a terrible team this year and the pick Utah got could easily be top 5. Without Deron, they are very likely, next year, to be themselves in the lottery, especially out west. Golden State’s pick next year, which they received, is only protected 1-7 and while Golden State isn’t great, they are not that bad either. With those picks, either Millisap or Jefferson (whichever they retain), and this year’s pick, Gordon Hayward, that’s a lot of very good young talent. They even have a former-All Star point guard in Devin Harris to help run the show and keep the team from bottoming out.
The concern is the player development in Utah. For decades, Jerry Sloan has helped new talent learn and become acclimated to the NBA. Without Sloan, it is unclear how they will develop their new nucleus, but that’s a concern that faces all but a few NBA teams, and Utah clearly has trust in those involved.
The Jazz will now likely add more assets as well, moving big contract players like Andrei Kirilenko and Memet Okur who are veterans of little use to a team not competing.
Overall, between the Nets and Jazz, this was a Win-Win deal.
Golden State Warriors Outlook:
The Warriors getting Murphy made no sense to me. They saved a bit of cash in getting Troy, but are reportedly buying him out so he can go to a contender. They saved incremental cash and dumped a useful player. That’s just bad unless another deal is coming.
Final Points:
If Prokhorov really has issues with James Dolan, he just one upped the Knicks owner in a huge way. Getting a better player for cheaper while maintaining cap flexibility and enabling the Nets to be players in the upcoming free agent markets, Prokhorov’s team is set to head into Brooklyn with a bright outlook. Meanwhile, Utah is in rebuilding mode, but going about it the right way, and Golden State, as usual, is confusing.
