NBA Trade Rumors: New Jersey Nets Safe from Deron Williams Disaster

For weeks we have been under the impression that Deron Williams was on his way out after the season, and the Nets needed to pull off an mammoth trade to keep him. We were wrong. 

ESPN's Mike Mazzeo reports on the latest rumors swirling around the New Jersey Nets at the moment. Brook Lopez continue to be a name being thrown in with possible Dwight Howard trades. 

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Lopez has been prominently mentioned as the centerpiece in trade talks for Orlando big man Dwight Howard. Lopez won’t be healthy by the March 15 trade deadline...the injury isn’t expected to have an impact on the Magic’s thinking one way or another. 

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The Magic are actually keen on keeping Howard and taking their chances in the offseason. Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Magic are not about to trade their superstar and are actually trying to build around him. 

The famous sellers are actually buyers heading into the trade deadline. 

It would seem the big man that was supposed to come to New Jersey to help Williams may not head north after all. 

There is no reason to panic, though. 

Williams is far more likely to stay with the Nets as they head to Brooklyn than you think. Mazzeo cites ESPN's Ric Bucher, who was on SportsCenter discussing the Nets and the probability Williams stays, regardless of who is acquired in the next week. 

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Deron Williams knows that the New Jersey Nets have cap room. They have draft picks. They have the possibility to build a team around him and go out and get free agents not named Dwight Howard.  

So the idea that they have to get Dwight Howard for Deron Williams to stay with the New Jersey Nets is false.

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The Nets are not in the Armageddon scenario they were supposed to be in heading into next week's deadline. 

It would be easy for Williams to take off to Dallas in the offseason, but there is a ton to like about a stay with the Nets. 

They have expiring contracts that make it very likely they have a tremendous amount of cap room to spend on quality free agents to build around. 

If the Nets swing and miss on Howard, they still have an All-Star to feature as the move to Brooklyn. The team can be Williams', and such a thing may be desirable to an underrated player who would be far more visible once the team moves locales. 

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