Jerry Sloan Fallout: Six Deals Involving Deron Williams, and One to Keep Him
Jerry Sloan shocked the basketball world yesterday when he announced his sudden resignation from the Utah Jazz.
In the aftermath of this news, there has been a great deal of speculation over the cause of Sloan's departure.
Many reporters are saying that a rumored rift between Sloan and star point guard Deron Williams was the root of all this.
In the past, there have been very quiet rumblings about Deron Williams possibly wanting out of Utah. Those rumblings may grow to a dull roar soon.
Utah general manager Kevin O'Connor has some big decisions to make. It's not typical of this team to make a major midseason move. With all this year's turmoil, they may have to.
If the team looks to move Deron Williams, there are plenty of teams that would be willing to offer a lot for his services.
I'm going to lay out six deals that Utah can make to get a decent return for Williams. Plus, I have one deal that keeps D-Will in Utah, and would almost certainly keep him happy for years.
Moving On
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Let's start by looking at the deals Utah can make to move on from the Deron Williams era.
Utah will be looking for young talent, expiring contracts, draft picks or a combination of those things.
I'll lead off this section with my favorite possibility...
Three-Team Deal With Golden State and Indiana
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The Deal
Utah Gets: Stephen Curry, Tyler Hansbrough, James Posey, Brandan Wright, Vladimir Radmanovic, Dan Gadzuric and a draft pick from Golden State
Golden State Gets: Deron Williams and Al Jefferson
Indiana Gets: Ekpe Udoh and Ronnie Price
Why It Works For Utah:
Stephen Curry is arguably already a better scorer than Deron Williams. He takes fewer shots and hits a higher percentage from the field, three-point range and the free throw line.
There's also reason to believe he can develop into a great distributor as well. In his first two seasons, Deron Williams averaged about 1.5 assists more per game than Curry has over his first two years.
Tyler Hansbrough can be a solid backup for Paul Millsap right now, and he may develop into a great power forward by the time Millsap's contract expires.
Wright, Radmanovic and Gadzuric are all on expiring contracts and Utah will probably let them walk following this season.
The only snag here for Utah is James Posey. They'll take a hit on his contract, but everything else they're getting would make it worth it.
Why It Works For Golden State:
This seems pretty obvious. Although Stephen Curry has a ton of potential, Williams is an immediate upgrade at the point.
A backcourt of Williams and Monta Ellis would be an extremely good combo.
Al Jefferson is probably better than any post player Golden State currently has on its roster (including David Lee).
Why It Works For Indiana:
A lot of people feel like Ekpe Udoh has more potential than Tyler Hansbrough (there's little doubt he'll be a better defensive player).
Ronnie Price gives them a solid backup point guard, which opens up the door for them to trade T.J. Ford (something they've been looking to do for a while).
New York Upgrades at Point Guard (Slightly)
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The Deal
Utah Gets: Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Eddy Curry and a future pick
New York Gets: Deron Williams and C.J. Miles
Why It Works For Utah:
Raymond Felton is not too much of a step down from Deron Williams. This season, his numbers are just slightly below Williams'.
Plus, Andrei Kirilenko's contract is up at the end of this year and Danilo Gallinari can easily take over that position for the future. He's not the defender Kirilenko is, but he has the potential to be a really good Small Forward.
Why It Works For New York:
A Deron Williams/Amar'e Stoudemire combo could possibly be more deadly than the one Amar'e was a part of in Phoenix.
In Mike D'Antoni's high-paced system, I can see Williams averaging well over 11 assists per game. Just look at the boost that system gave to Steve Nash and Felton (and Williams' pre-D'Antoni numbers would be better than either of those players).
New York already has a plethora of wings, but C.J. Miles could be a solid backup to Landry Fields and Wilson Chandler.
Six-Player Deal With Houston
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The Deal
Utah Gets: Kevin Martin, Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier and a first-round pick
Houston Gets: Deron Williams, C.J. Miles and Raja Bell
Why It Works For Utah:
It's difficult for me to understand why Kevin Martin's name is always attached to so many trade rumors. He's been one of the most effective and consistent scorers in the NBA since 2006.
Nevertheless, his name is constantly churning around in the rumor mill. He's easily better than any wing that is currently on Utah's roster and would instantly take over as the team's leading scorer.
Aaron Brooks is obviously no Deron Williams, but he is solid (and young). He's very fast and he's a great outside shooter (I think his three-point percentage this year is an aberration).
Shane Battier seems like a perfect fit for the Jazz (he would've been beyond perfect under Jerry Sloan). He's smart, hard-working and humble.
Why It Works For Houston:
What Houston really needs is someone to fill (at least mostly) the 7'5" void left behind by Yao Ming. However, something tells me they'd be satisfied with landing Deron Williams.
Luis Scola is already a great scoring power forward, but Williams would make his job significantly easier.
Raja Bell and C.J. Miles would have to battle for playing time with a bunch of other wings already on Houston's roster.
Nets Get a Franchise Point Guard
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The Deal
Utah Gets: Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy and a first-round pick
New Jersey Gets: Deron Williams and Al Jefferson
Why It Works For Utah:
Derrick Favors hasn't impressed me much at all this year, but some people still swear by his potential. He could be a decent backup to Paul Millsap (who would benefit from the departure of Jefferson).
Like a lot of the other point guards in this slideshow, Devin Harris is a step down from Williams, but he's still a good player.
It's hard to understand why Nets coach Avery Johnson seemingly hated Troy Murphy from the get-go. They've been trying to unload him for months. Utah could use his great shooting range and rebounding ability.
Why It Works For New Jersey:
Brook Lopez doesn't rebound well, and may be a little soft. However, the guy can really score. Playing with Deron Williams would only make things easier for Brook.
Al Jefferson would be a nice frontcourt pairing with Lopez as well.
Lakers Look Beyond The Triangle
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The Deal
Utah Gets: Andrew Bynum and Shannon Brown
Los Angeles Gets: Deron Williams
Why It Works For Utah:
The Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap connection hasn't meshed too well this year. They're both natural power forwards, and each is undersized at their current positions (Millsap at power forward and Jefferson at center).
If Utah acquired Andrew Bynum, they'd have a true center to line up next to one of their talented fours (the other would move to the bench or another team in a separate trade).
Shannon Brown could instantly step in and start at shooting guard for this team (and maybe even point guard).
Why It Works For Los Angeles:
It may be easy to say that Deron Williams wouldn't fit in the triangle. However, an upgrade from Derek Fisher to Deron Williams seems so obvious that the schematic issues take a back seat.
Williams would make Kobe Bryant's life so much easier. Defenses would not be able to focus as much attention to Kobe, and Williams would allow him to play off the ball much more.
Plus, this is Phil Jackson's last year in Los Angeles. Looking beyond his system may be something that the Lakers' front office should be thinking about.
Trying to Keep Deron Williams Happy
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All the chatter about Williams wanting to move on is nothing more than a bunch of rumors right now.
I'm sure we could find plenty of people who would also say that D-Will would like to stay in Salt Lake.
I've come up with a major trade that would definitely bring a smile to Williams' face. If the Jazz could pull this off, they'd be legitimate contenders for this year's NBA Championship...
Four-Team Megadeal That Lands Danny Granger in Utah
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Utah Gets: Danny Granger, O.J. Mayo, Troy Murphy and Hasheem Thabeet
New Jersey Gets: Francisco Elson and Mike Dunleavy
Indiana Gets: Andrei Kirilenko, Tony Allen and a Draft Pick From Utah
Memphis Gets: Mehmet Okur, C.J. Miles and a Draft Pick From Utah
Why It Works For Utah:
Utah needs to shake things up, and it has a great trade chip in Kirilenko's expiring contract.
Danny Granger is one of the most well-rounded (and underrated) players in the league. He and Deron Williams would be a ridiculous one-two punch.
O.J. Mayo has a ton of talent, but he's run his course in Memphis. He and Deron Williams would make an excellent backcourt.
Mayo's best skill is scoring, and points would be even easier to come by when playing alongside D-Will
Troy Murphy is a versatile big man, and it's hard to understand why he instantly found himself in the dog house in New Jersey.
He's good enough to start in Utah and move Paul Millsap back to his role as a sixth man (a role he fills as well as anybody in the NBA).
Why It Works For New Jersey:
Since the day Troy Murphy arrived, Avery Johnson's been looking to get rid of him.
They get two expiring contracts in return, and Mike Dunleavy can contribute immediately. He may not be as good a defender as Travis Outlaw, but he's much better on offense.
Why It Works For Indiana:
This was much more plausible a couple weeks ago when reports of Granger's availability first surfaced.
Now, they have an interim head coach that seems to have lit a fire under the Pacers.
However, the deal still makes a lot of sense from an economic standpoint. Their incoming salaries in this deal are around $27 million while their outgoing salaries total over $50 million.
They would have a ton of flexibility to work with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, in place after this offseason.
Why It Works For Memphis:
Memphis could really use a decent reserve big man behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Once Okur gets healthy, he can really help the possibly playoff-bound Grizzlies.
C.J. Miles is a solid young wing. Since he's facing an expiring contract, Memphis can let him walk if they're not satisfied.
Just For Kicks
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I've laid out six deals the Jazz could possibly make to get some solid pieces in return for Deron Williams.
I've also presented a realistic deal that I think would keep Williams happy and immediately put Utah into the title hunt.
Now just for fun, let's look at one more New York deal.
The Knicks have been in the rumor mill as much as any team this year. We've heard plenty of stories about their pursuit of Carmelo Anthony, and now we're already hearing they're interested in Deron Williams.
So, I'm wondering if there's a scenario in which New York could land both of these guys in one deal.
Well, let's see...
Can New York Land Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony in One Deal?
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The Deal
Utah Gets: Chauncey Billups, Danilo Gallinari and Anthony Randolph
Denver Gets: Raymond Felton, Al Jefferson, Landry Fields, Wilson Chandler, C.J. Miles and Eddy Curry
New York Gets: Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams
Why It Works For Utah:
Chaucney Billups is nowhere near the distributor Deron Williams is. However, he's a great shooter, and more importantly, a great leader. He could really help stabilize this team in crisis.
As I mentioned in the previous slide, Danilo Gallinari would be a more than adequate replacement for Andrei Kirilenko.
Finally, Anthony Randolph hasn't seen the floor much this year, but he has the potential to become a very solid and versatile big man.
Why It Works For Denver:
Among all the Carmelo-to- New York rumors, this package is as good as any.
They get a great, younger point guard in Raymond Felton. His production wouldn't go down at all in Denver, since they play at a pace that is very similar to New York's.
Wilson Chandler and Landry Fields are both great young wings. Combined, they would make up for the production lost with Melo's departure.
Al Jefferson has not been as good as many thought he'd be this year, but he's still much better Kenyon Martin or Al Harrington. He and Nene would form a strong frontcourt.
Why It Works For New York:
Williams and Anthony are huge names, but I'm actually not sure if this is a surefire upgrade. This deal pretty much guts New York's roster (but that's the price you pay to get three huge names, just ask Miami).
From an optimistic standpoint, this deal could make New York instant title contenders. This "big three" would have slightly less talent than Miami's, but their games would compliment each other well.
Williams, Anthony and Stoudemire would absolutely be unstoppable on offense. The question is (as it always has been with D'Antoni teams), can they stop anyone?
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