The Deron Williams trade was as out of the blue as an NBA trade can be.
Nobody saw it coming — not even Williams. But a great bit of reporting by Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune pulls back the curtain a little on the normally very secret Jazz organization.
The story explains how the trade went down. How the Jazz felt like they were going to lose Williams. How the moves by LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony had the Jazz even more concerned. How Williams himself was frustrated because he didn’t think the Jazz would pull off the big trade to bring in enough talent for him to win.
How the Jazz did have the guts to make a superstar move, but it was to send Williams out. Go read the entire story. Here are just a few highlights.(Williams’) increasingly bitter tone and obvious frustration had not gone unnoticed by Jazz management. (Former coach Jerry) Sloan, general manager Kevin O’Connor and anyone within the organization with basketball sense easily recognized Williams’ undeniable Olympic talent. But he still had 1½ years left on his contract and his power was growing; former small-market stars such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony had put their old teams through the fire; and the idea that Williams — who turned down a maximum contract with Utah in 2008 and could opt of his deal after the 2011-12 season — would choose loyalty over pride, money and power had gone from a possibility to nearly nonexistent.
“He never said what [Phoenix’s] Steve Nash said,” O’Connor said. “He never said, ‘Hey, I signed a contract, I really like it here. I want to finish it out. I’m committed to staying in Utah. Let’s get some players.’ It was always, ‘I’ll wait and see….’ ”
The Jazz had spent the weeks leading up to Anthony’s trade gauging Williams’ market value — a process that started after teams began dialing Utah’s number when news of Williams’ seasonlong clashes with Sloan went public, as opponents tried to sweep in and steal the disgruntled guard.
Once Anthony was finally moved, the Jazz cashed in. Utah spent the night leading up to Williams’ trade contemplating the decision, weighing whether a team that started the season 27-13 was for real, or really just one that would face another disappointing first-round playoff exit. But once the Jazz realized what was on the table — a future-laden deal that contained as little risk as possible, and one that would immediately send Williams and his mounting problems packing —Utah did not hesitate.
Moreover, by intentionally keeping the trade as quiet as possible, the Jazz negated any leverage Williams still held. By not allowing him to first go public and back the organization into a corner if he disapproved of the move, Utah was able to completely elude the 24-7 Internet rumor mill and discreetly pull off the most shocking trade of the season.