NBA Rumors: Will Deron Williams Injury Keep NJ Nets Quiet at Trade Deadline?

Some time ago, you could have called the New Jersey Nets major players for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. 

Heck, even Howard himself wanted to go there.  With Brook Lopez now injured, the odds of that trade happening are slim. To add insult to injury, the Nets' season just became even more lost, as star point guard Deron Williams has now missed two straight games with a calf injury.

Simply put, the Nets can't catch a break.

The sad part of it all is that the Nets are a team that could greatly benefit from just one trade, and now not one but two of their better trade chips are hurt.

However, if you think that GM Billy King would let injuries keep him from making moves, you would be wrong.  According to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, the Nets have expressed interest in Bobcats forward Boris Diaw and his expiring contract. 

In the ensuing talks, Bonnell reported that the Nets would give up Johan Petro, Jordan Farmar and a protected first-round pick owed to them by the Houston Rockets.

Diaw is a good fit for the Nets, as he brings good size to the inside, and for just 6'8", he plays like someone much bigger.  Still, there's no guarantee that he'll stay beyond this season, and to be honest, the Nets will have greater priorities to chase than him. 

Not only is Howard a free agent they covet, but Williams will also hit free agency, and he has already expressed an indirect interest in playing for the Dallas Mavericks.

That said, even though Williams is injured, the Nets should not make any moves at Thursday's deadline.  The key to keeping Williams for the move to Brooklyn is to bring in some talent to help him, as he has already called out the team once this year. 

Thus, trading Farmar and his 10.7 points per game (not to mention his 45 percent three-point shooting) would be the wrong thing to do if team management wants to lure Howard.

On top of that, here's another reason the Nets need to stay quiet at the deadline: any move would cost them either Lopez or Williams, and if Howard is to suit up for the team next year, that means retaining the latter by any means necessary. 

If the Nets manage to lose Williams before the start of next year, they can pretty much kiss Howard goodbye and look forward to entering the new Barclays Center as a glorified expansion team.

As a result, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Billy King will stand pat at this year's deadline and focus on two things: getting Williams well again and doing everything in his power to make sure he stays. 

Otherwise, as I just said, the Nets are basically screwed.