Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
New Jersey has reached agreement on a trade with Portland that will bring Gerald Wallace to the Nets, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.
The deal, sources say, sends the expiring contract of Nets forward Mehmet Okur and Shawne Williams– along with a protected future first-round pick — to the Blazers for Wallace.
Wallace is a player long admired by Orlando and was part of the three-team trade construction lined up by the Nets in December that nearly broughtDwight Howard to the Nets before the season even started. In that three-team scenario, Orlando would have received Wallace, Nets center Brook Lopez and at least one future first-round pick, while also shedding the contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Duhon.
To push this latest deal through involving Wallace, New Jersey and Portland must submit a trade agreement to the league office before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
New Jersey’s strategy, sources say, is to stockpile as many players and draft picks as possible — as well as maintaining salary-cap space — to make another trade run at Howard or another star to be determined in conjunction with the June draft — before star guard Deron Williams can become a free agent July 1.
WRITTEN BY Marc Stein | ESPN.com & FULL STORY HERE
