The Nets must believe they can still land Carmelo Anthony.
By dealing Terrence Williams to the Houston Rockets in a three-team trade that netted the Nets two additional first-round draft picks, New Jersey now has still more to offer the Denver Nuggets in a trade.
The Nets will receive the Rockets’ first-round draft pick in 2012 (lottery protected), the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick in 2011 (protected 1-18) and the expiring $5.475 million contract of Lakers shooting guard Sasha Vujacic (who is engaged to tennis star Maria Sharapova).
The Lakers receive veteran Joe Smith in the trade, which was first reported by Yahoo.com and The Bergen Record.
“This trade benefits our team in both the short and long term,” Nets GM Billy King said. “Sasha is a veteran NBA player who will add depth to our backcourt rotation, while the addition of the two future number one picks adds to our assets as we look to rebuild into a championship contender.”
Williams,who had recently fallen into head coach Avery Johnson’s doghouse and been demoted to the NBA D-League, posted this farewell message on his Twitter page.
“Welcome welcome, to all my jersey fans an(d) people,” Williams wrote. “it’s been real I love y’all an thanks, to HOUSTON what uppppp. “go Rockets” lol.”
The deal cannot be completed until Wednesday, because Smith signed with the Nets in the offseason as a free agent so is not eligible to be dealt until Dec. 15.
If the trade goes through, the Nets will have five first-round picks through 2012. They own their own in 2011 and ’12. They would add the Lakers’ and Rockets’ picks and they have a 2011 pick from Golden State acquired in a trade for Marcus Williams. The Williams’ pick is lottery protected.
Ironically, the 2012 pick from Houston originally belonged to the Knicks, meaning the Knicks could have ended up helping their cross-river rivals get closer to landing Anthony.
ESPN.com reported after Sunday’s Knicks’ victory over the Nuggets that Anthony would not sign an extension unless traded to the Knicks, but Anthony later refuted the report.
This latest development must indicate that the Nets believe they are in still in the hunt for Anthony.
Even if they don’t land him, they now have five first-round picks to dangle for other NBA superstars.
(The AP contributed)
