Rockets finalize deal for Nets' Terrence Williams
OKLAHOMA CITY — When the New Jersey Nets chose Terrence Williams with the 11th pick of the 2009 draft, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey considered it a good value and a wise choice.
A little more than a season later, he made the same bet.
The Rockets completed the three-team deal to acquire Williams on Wednesday, sending a lottery-protected 2012 first-round pick to New Jersey, taking the chance that Williams could overcome the issues that had stalled his career with the Nets. If the Rockets remain in the lottery through 2017, the pick would become a second-rounder.
In the trade, the Nets sent Joe Smith and two second-round picks to the Lakers, for Sasha Vujacic and a first-round pick. The Lakers get the draft rights to Sergei Lishouk from the Rockets. The rights to Lishouk were acquired from Memphis, but he was never in the Rockets' plans.
"We felt like that draft, Terrence had top 10 talent," Morey said Wednesday. "We still believe that. We think a fresh start might be exactly what he needs to show what he can do. It's going to have to be something he shows the coaching staff how he can help us win. I think it is a good situation for us here."
Williams had been asked to stay away from the Nets for two days because of issues that included habitual tardiness before he was sent to the NBA Development League for three games. He averaged just 6.7 points on 39.7 percent shooting in 10 games with the Nets. In three games in the D-League, Williams averaged 28 points, 11.3 rebounds and 10.7 assists.
"He's a player that has got two-way potential, a strong defender, good rebounder, good passer, good ball-handler," Morey said. "He has a really versatile game we think can help over time."
Hoping a second chance would help Williams overcome the issues that he could not with the Nets, Morey said he would not be judged by his reputation.
"I always try to judge players as I know them," Morey said. "We're going to judge Terrence by how he is in Houston, not rumors or what others are saying."
To make room for Williams on the roster, Jermaine Taylor and cash were sent to Sacramento for a second-round pick the Rockets are extremely unlikely to ever receive. The pick is top 55 protected, so the Rockets will only get the pick if the Kings, who have the second-worst record in the NBA, finish this season with one of the top five records.
"Jermaine didn't get much opportunity to play here because of our depth," Morey said. "Coach and I met with him after the game (on Tuesday). We were very impressed throughout with how professional he was for such a young player. Not easy for any player. We're certain he'll have success in this league. Coach Adelman obviously knows the Sacramento front office well. He thinks he has a really chance to help them."
The moves leave the Rockets' roster crowded at small forward with starter Shane Battier and backup Chase Budinger, who has shown signs of overcoming his shooting slump in the past two games, hitting 13 of 20 shots. Williams' offensive game places more emphasis on dribble penetration with playmaking skills, but he likely will initially have to compete for playing time.
"I think he's definitely different from the players we have," Morey said. "We have a lot of faith in coach (Rick) Adelman to mix and match players of different skill sets. He's going to put on the floor the players he thinks give us the best chance to win."
