With the possibility that Kevin Garnett will retire and Paul Pierce may leave as a free agent, the Nets are left with few options due to their lack of first-round draft picks. One quick fix could be to trade point guard Deron Williams, who has had a tumultuous three-plus seasons with the Nets.
While Williams doesn’t appear to be the subject of any trade talks at present, amNewYork cooked up some fun, hypothetical deals that make some sense for all parties involved.
Williams and Marquis Teague to the Knicks for Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert
The Nets would get a younger version of Garnett in Stoudemire, and Shumpert is a tenacious young defender. He’s a poor man’s Andre Iguodala.
Perhaps a trade for Williams will convince Carmelo Anthony to stay with the Knicks. A trio of Williams, Anthony and Tyson Chandler would look nice in whatever version of the triangle the Knicks run next year.
Williams to the Rockets for Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik
A Lin sighting back in New York would create a buzz in Brooklyn and steal back page headlines from their Manhattan rivals. Asik is a legitimate 7-foot center and solid rebounder who can provide insurance for Brook Lopez.
For Houston, pairing Williams with James Harden and Dwight Howard would be dangerous.
Nets get: Josh Smith and Jason Maxiell; Pistons get: Williams and Maurice Harkless; Magic get: Brandon Jennings
The Nets could be interested in Smith, who could be a nice complementary player to Lopez in the middle. They would need to seek a pass-first point guard through free agency such as Mario Chalmers or Steve Blake.
If new Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy looks to implode the underachieving roster, he could look to deal Smith and Jennings. Harkless and Williams would be nice fits in Detroit, to go along with young center Andre Drummond and restricted free agent Greg Monroe.
The Magic could be intrigued by a young, explosive backcourt of Jennings and Victor Oladipo.
