After failing to come up big in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, the New Jersey Nets were seemingly about to fall apart as there was almost no way to keep All-Star point guard content and happy with this current team. Despite not getting the teammate he’d been waiting for in Howard, Williams may have gotten a pretty good consolation with a last-minute trade before the NBA deadline.

Once it was official that the Portland Trail Blazers had fired head coach Nate McMillian, the flood gates were open as the team started to think about trading any player on their current roster. As a result, trade talks began with several different teams about Jamal Crawford and veteran center Marcus Camby was ultimately dealt to the Houston Rockets.

Even though the Blazers couldn’t make a trade work in time to deal Crawford, Portland did manage to package forward Gerald Wallace to the Nets. This deal came out of nowhere and was done quickly to avoid other teams getting involved in the bidding, but New Jersey got a nice addition in the form of Wallace in exchange for center Mehmet Okur, forward Shawne Williams and a protected 2012 first-round draft pick.

Not a bad deal for both teams as the New Jersey Nets will almost certainly finish the season with a draft choice in the top 10 of five giving the Portland Trail Blazers a chance to land a promising young player. Not only is the draft pick beneficial, but the Blazers are already working on a buyout for Williams which will open up a roster spot.

Needless to say, both teams made out pretty well in this trade as it should improve both teams moving forward. Gerald Wallace should be a solid piece playing alongside Deron Williams and Brook Lopez.

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