The Blazers and Nets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Gerald Wallace to New Jersey, reports TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). The Blazers will receive Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a top-three protected 2012 pick. Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, who first reported the two sides were close, confirms the agreement (via Twitter).
After finding out Dwight Howard would not be available via free agency this summer, the Nets quickly turned to trades that would add help for Deron Williams. The price for Wallace seems awfully high though — while the Nets were able to move Okur's expiring $10.89MM contract and avoid Williams exercising his $3.1MM option for next season, the first-round pick seems to be the Nets' own selection. While New Jersey will retain the pick if it lands in the top three, it's very possible that the Blazers will receive a top-ten pick in what's expected to be a strong draft. The Nets currently have the sixth-worst record in the league (15-29).
Wallace has a $9.5MM player option for next season, which I assume the Nets will want him to exercise. Perhaps the two sides could even agree to void the player option in favor of working out a longer-team deal with a reduced 2012/13 cap figure. Even with Wallace on the books for next year, the team should have a decent amount of cap space to re-sign Brook Lopez and perhaps sign another free agent to entice Williams to stay.
would make more sense if it were top 5 protected.
top 3? especially in a deep draft this year–that’s an impressive pull for Portland. I guess NJ is trying to surround DWill with as much talent as they can right now.
Wallace holds a player option for next season so he could leave if he wanted. Maybe playing with D Will and potentially another star in Brooklyn will keep him.
i thought things could not get any worse for my nets, but it did. We gave up a damn high draft pick in a loaded draft for a guy who is going to opt out of his deal. Y couldn’t we send Houston’s draft pick instead. No it had to be ours thats only top 3 protected. Nets need to remember we r never that lucky, never!!!
1: DWill, 2:Brooks, 3:Wallace, 4:Humphries, 4A:Lopez (5:Petro). This is not a bad lineup especially if Gerald Wallace helps us improve our defense. But we still need a center and a true star to go along with Williams. I have no clue who besides Dwight Howard in June or 2013.
lopez is a center i thought and him and wallace are borderline allstar material
One of the worst trades that Nets have made in a long time. Fire Billy King. Why give up all our picks for essentially nothing? Makes no sense to me. Terrible, terrible, terrible.