The New Jersey Nets have acquired forward Brandan Wright and center Dan Gadzuric from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for forward Troy Murphy and the Nets’ second round draft pick in 2012, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

“We are very pleased to add Dan and Brandan to our roster,” said King. “Dan is an NBA veteran who will add depth to our frontcourt rotation, while Brandan is a young player who we feel has significant room to grow and develop in our system.”

Wright, 6’10”, 220, was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft.  He was then traded to Golden State for Jason Richardson and the draft rights to Jermareo Davidson.  The fourth-year forward from North Carolina holds career averages of 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per contest.  Wright missed the entire 2009-10 season after having left shoulder surgery, an injury that he suffered in training camp.  In 21 games, one start, with the Warriors this season, he averaged 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes while shooting .603 (38-63) from the field.

Gadzuric, 6’11”, 245, was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks (34th overall) in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft.  Currently in his ninth NBA season, the Den Haag, Netherlands native holds career averages of 4.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 14.9 minutes.  In 511 career games, including 159 starts, he is shooting .502 (1,032-2,057) from the field and .501 (362-722) from the line.  In 12 career postseason games, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting .633 (19-30) from the field in 8.4 minutes.  This season, Gadzuric has played in 28 games, four starts, and averaged 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.6 minutes while shooting .420 (37-88) from the field.

Murphy, acquired by New Jersey on August 11, 2010 from Indiana, has played in 18 games for the Nets this season, averaging 3.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per game.  The 6’11” forward has played in 639 NBA games with Golden State, Indiana and New Jersey, with career averages of 11.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

The Atlanta Hawks tonight acquired guard Kirk Hinrich and center/forward Hilton Armstrong from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, Jordan Crawford and a draft pick, according to Hawks Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund.

“We felt we had a good opportunity to improve our ballclub by adding Kirk and Hilton,” Sund said. “Kirk is a well-rounded player that gives us options at both guard positions. In addition to being a solid and hard-nosed defender, he is a good shooter who can also distribute the ball. His resume includes significant playoff experience as well. Hilton can play both center and power forward, and will add frontcourt depth.”

“I sincerely want to thank Mike, Mo and Jordan for their contributions both on and off the court in Atlanta, and wish them well in the future.”

In his eighth NBA season, Hinrich was averaging 11.1 ppg, 4.4 apg (tied for 29th in the NBA), 2.7 rpg and 1.3 spg in 30.6 mpg (.452 FG%, .384 3FG%, .876 FT%) with the Wizards, appearing in 48 contests (29 starting assignments).

Taken with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft by Chicago, Hinrich spent his first seven pro seasons with the Bulls before being traded to Washington on July 8, 2010 along with the draft rights to Kevin Seraphin in exchange for the draft rights to Vladimir Veremeenko. With career averages of 13.2 ppg, 5.7 apg, 3.3 rpg and 1.3 spg (.417 FG%, .379 3FG%, .814 FT%), Hinrich has played in 562 career regular season games (462 starts). In 34 playoff contests (27 starts), he has averaged 15.3 ppg, 5.8 apg, 3.7 rpg and 1.4 spg (.421 FG%, .405 3FG%, .757 FT%).

Named to the NBA’s All-Defensive second team in 2007, he is Chicago’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (812) and attempted (2,144), while ranking fourth in team history in assists (3,004) and steals (655). The former Kansas University standout was teammates with Joe Johnson on the 2006 USA Men’s World Championship Team. Kirk James Hinrich was born January 2, 1981 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Armstrong saw action in 41 games (two starts) for the Wizards this season, his first in Washington, averaging 1.9 ppg and 2.8 rpg (.484 FG%, .609 FT%).  The fifth-year pro was drafted in the first round (12th overall) by New Orleans in the 2006 NBA Draft and spent his first three-plus seasons with the Hornets.  Armstrong also played for Sacramento and Houston during the 2009-10 season.  The 6-11 University of Connecticut product owns career averages of 3.2 ppg and 2.6 rpg (.502 FG%, .603 FT%) in 265 games (39 starts).  He has also seen action in 12 career playoff games, putting up 3.0 ppg and 2.3 rpg (.538 FG%, .400 FT%).  Hilton A. Armstrong Jr. was born November 23, 1984 in Peekskill, NY.

Bibby started 56 games this season for the Hawks, posting averages of 9.4 ppg, 3.6 apg and 2.6 rpg (.435 FG%, .441 3FG%, .630 FT%). He appeared in 248 regular season games and 29 playoff contests as a Hawk after being acquired by Atlanta from the Sacramento Kings on February 16, 2008, and re-signed on July 13, 2009.

Signed by the Hawks as a free agent on July 29, 2008, Evans has played in 47 games (12 starts) this season, posting averages of 4.5 ppg and 1.8 rpg (.393 FG%, .315 3FG%, .857 FT%). In his three years with in Atlanta, Evans has seen action in 206 regular season contests, and 22 playoff games (starting eight).

Acquired by the Hawks on draft night 2010 (June 24) from the New Jersey Nets after being selected 27th overall from Xavier University, Crawford has totaled 4.2 ppg and 1.8 rpg (.351 FG%, .333 3FG%, .667 FT%) in 16 contests.

VH1 has teamed up with actress and television personality La La Vazquez for the new series “La La’s Full Court Life” (working title). Slated for premiere in August, 2011, the 10 episode, 30 minute docu-series, which began filming in January, will continue where the wedding special, “La La’s Full Court Wedding” left off as La La and her husband, NBA Forward Carmelo Anthony, prepare for a sudden move to New York City, where he will play for the New York Knicks.

The wedding may be over but the fun is just beginning for La La. With the sudden news that her husband is being traded to the New York Knicks, La La will deal with new adventures in matrimony and parenthood as she prepares to move back home to New York City. Along the way, viewers will also see La La juggle her busy acting and television hosting career and seek advice from some of her famous friends, including 50 Cent, Kelly Rowland, Trina and Serena Williams to name a few.

“Viewers connect with La La because despite the fairy tale wedding and NBA star husband, she is a real, down to Earth, hardworking woman who stays true to herself,” said Jeff Olde, EVP, Original Programming and Production, VH1. “The best thing about the new series is that while pursuing and realizing her dreams, La La gets to take us back to her home in New York, where her story began.”

VH1’s “La La’s Full Court Life” is executive produced by Cris Abrego for 51 Minds Entertainment, La La Vazquez and Carmelo Anthony for Krossover Entertainment, and Steven Grossman on behalf of The Collective. The series was created by Cris Abrego, La La Vazquez, and Steven Grossman.  51 Minds is an LLC Endemol Company, who also produced the record-breaking series “Rock of Love,” “Flavor of Love,” “Charm School,” and “I Love New York.”  The production teams’ programming launched VH1 into their highest ratings ever. Ben Samek and Rabih Gholam are also executive producers for the series and the company. For VH1, the series is executive produced by Jill Holmes, Kristen Kelly and Jeff Olde.

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that guard/forward Mike Dunleavy will be out indefinitely after sustaining a broken left thumb in the Pacers’ victory at Washington Tuesday night.

Dunleavy will meet with doctors Thursday and an update will be provided after those meetings.

Dunleavy had played in 54 of the Pacers’ 55 games this season, starting 44. He was averaging 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have acquired forward Carl Landry from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for guard Marcus Thornton and cash considerations.

“This is a trade that benefits both teams as Carl is a player we have looked to acquire for a long time and we hope to be a big part of our long term success,” said Hornets GM Dell Demps. “Carl is a high character person that will add a scoring punch to our front court while providing toughness and the ability to make plays. In order to get a good player, we had to give up a good player. We wish Marcus nothing but the best because he has a bright future in front of him. We want to thank Marcus for his contributions, energy and professionalism.”

Landry (6-9, 248), who was drafted in the second round (31st overall) by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA Draft and then traded on draft night to the Houston Rockets, averaged 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 53 games (16 starts) this season for the Kings. Landry played two and a half seasons for the Rockets before being dealt to the Rockets midway through the 2009-10 season in a three-team, nine-player deal that sent Kevin Martin to the Rockets.  Landry’s best season came in 2009-10, when he averaged career-highs of 16.8 points on .536 percent shooting, 5.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 30.9 minutes in 80 games (29 starts). After joining the Kings in late February, he posted averages of 18.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in 37.6 minutes over 28 games (all starts). Landry was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team after the 2007-08 season when he posted averages of 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 42 games. The Purdue product ranks second all-time in school history in career field goal percentage and sixth in scoring average. He averaged 18.4 points on .602 percent shooting, 7.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.81 blocks in 64 games at Purdue.

“Carl is a tenacious rebounder who doesn’t back down inside along with being a proven low post scorer and we look forward to having those attributes on our team,” said Head Coach Monty Williams. “I feel good about being involved in the development of Marcus as a player on and off the court this year as it’s never easy to part with a talented and good person but I know he will continue to grow and thrive with his new team.”

Thornton (6-4, 205) was selected in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Miami HEAT and then traded to New Orleans on draft night. The LSU product has appeared in 46 games this season for the Hornets, averaging 7.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Last season, Thornton was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team, after averaging 14.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 73 games (17 starts).  assists and 0.81 blocks in 64 games at Purdue.

Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times reports:

“I’m not sad,” Danilo Gallinari said. “I don’t have any particular emotions now. When I first came there, three years ago, that’s the mentality that you have to approach the N.B.A. Anything can happen, so you can’t be mad at some trades. You’ve just got to live with it and do the best you can. They pay me to play basketball. That’s the only thing I’ve got to concentrate on and do.”

Raymond Felton said he was tired of talking about the trade, even though it had been official for only a few hours.

“I’m here where a team wants me,” Felton said. “The Denver Nuggets wanted me. New York didn’t, so that’s why things happened.”

Felton sent a message through his agent to Denver management asking that none of the incoming Knicks be traded before Thursday’s deadline. He wanted to show their worth together, he said.

“I’m happy to be here,” Felton said. “I don’t even want to hear about it or talk about the trade no more. We’ve done talked about it for three months straight and I don’t even want to talk about no trade. I’m a Denver Nugget now, and I’m happy to be here.”

Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

Miami Heat forward Mike Miller will not play Thursday against the Chicago Bulls, marking the third straight game he will miss.

Miller did not travel with the team Wednesday. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the decision was based on an ear infection and not Miller’s recent battle with head injuries. He suffered three head-related injuries during collisions in games against the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics.

“He still has a lingering ear infection and he’s not able to fly, so we’re not taking him with us,” Spoelstra said. “It’s not anything that has to do with the concussion. It’s his ear infection. We need to take care of that. He’s feeling better.”

Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated reports:

The Jazz realized their relationship with Williams was headed toward the same cliff as LeBron, Bosh and Carmelo, and so they decided to make the best of a hopeless future. Will they next seek to move other expensive commitments to Al Jefferson (owed $29 million over the next two years), Paul Millsap ($16.7 million over the next two years) and/or Mehmet Okur ($10.9 million next year) in order to pare down the payroll and ready themselves to exploit the next collective bargaining agreement? Do they try to trade Andrei Kirilenko’s expiring $17.8 million for long-term prospects, or do they allow his contract to expire this summer for payroll relief?

First, Jerry Sloan leaves, now Williams is sent away. For two decades we knew who the Utah Jazz were and what they stood for as a franchise. Now we, and they, have no idea. They can pursue the same objectives as always, but with no certainty of replicating the discipline and excellence that defined them for so long.

All we know for sure are these two things: 1) the Jazz, who were No. 8 in the West before the Williams trade, will undoubtedly fall out of the playoffs without their leading playmaker and scorer; and 2) the owners of the mid- and small-market teams like Utah will be more galvanized than ever to create a system that can enable them to retain their best players.

The New Jersey Nets have acquired two-time All-Star guard Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Devin Harris, forward Derrick Favors, two first round draft picks (Nets 2011, Golden State 2012) and cash considerations, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.  

“We are very excited to add a player the caliber of Deron Williams to our roster,” said King.  “He is one of the premier point guards in the NBA, and his skill and talent level will bolster our franchise as we continue to build towards our goal of becoming a championship-caliber team.”

Williams, 6’3”, 209, was selected third overall in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft by Utah.  The Illinois product is currently in his sixth NBA season and holds career averages of 17.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 35.6 minutes per game.  In 439 career games, including 406 starts, he has shot .466 (2,725-5,848) from the field, .358 (511-1,427) from three-point range and .808 (1,615-1,998) from the free throw line.  In 44 career postseason games, Williams has averaged 21.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.2 steals 40.4 minutes, while shooting .458 (308-672) from the field and .796 (238-299) from the line.  Williams is a two-time All Star (2010 and 2011), made the All-NBA Second Team in 2008 and 2010, won a gold medal as part of the Team  USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, was a member of the All-Rookie First Team in 2006 and became only the third player in NBA history to have 1500+ points and 800+ assists while shooting .500+ from the field in a single season in 2007-08 (Magic Johnson, 1986-87, 1988-89 and Kevin Johnson, 1988-89).  He ranked fourth on Utah’s career assists list (4,003), fifth for three-pointers made (511) and fourth for three-pointers attempted (1,427).  In 53 games with the Jazz this season, Williams averaged a career-best 21.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 9.7 assists (3rd in the NBA) and 1.2 steals in 37.9 minutes.  He also tallied 27 double-doubles (7th in the NBA). 

Harris, a 6’3”, 190-pound guard currently in his seventh NBA season, is averaging 15.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, a career-high 7.6 assists (ranked 11th) and 1.06 steals while shooting 42.5% from the field in 54 games.  The Wisconsin native was acquired by the Nets on February 19, 2008 from Dallas as part of a multi-player trade.  In 2008-09, Harris enjoyed his best NBA season, averaging 21.3 points and 6.9 assists, while being named to the 2009 Eastern Conference All-Star Team. In parts of four seasons with the Nets, Harris played in 212 games, averaging 17.7 points, 6.9 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.  He is currently on five Nets individual career Top 10 lists, 10th in three-point field goals made at 188, 9th in three-point field goals attempted at 644, 9th in free throws made at 1,403, 10th in free throws attempted at 1,366 and 6th in assists at 1,473. In 463 career games, including 329 starts, Harris has posted averages of 13.2 points and 5.0 assists per contest. 

Favors, selected third overall by the Nets in 2010 NBA Draft, has played in 56 games, making 23 starts for New Jersey in his rookie season.  The 6’10” forward out of Georgia Tech has averages of 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game. 

Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports:

Though the Celtics are no closer to knowing when or if Marquis Daniels will return to the team this season, at least the forward may be nearing the end of his meetings with specialists.

His agent, Mark Bartelstein, said yesterday that Daniels plans to meet with the Celtics medical staff in a week to discuss a plan of action for treating his bruised spinal cord.

Daniels has met with three specialists, and over the next week plans to meet with two more doctors for additional opinions.

Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post reports:

It’s not every day — or any day, for that matter — that a player gets a personal apology from the front office that traded him.

But then, Chauncey Billups wasn’t just any player for the Nuggets.

His inclusion in the trade to the New York Knicks was the name that really stung for Nuggets fans. Billups grew up here, played basketball at George Washington High School and the University of Colorado and never wastes an opportunity to show his love for the city.

That’s why, said Nuggets executives Josh Kroenke and Masai Ujiri, it was painful to let him go. And that’s why the duo opened their Tuesday evening news conference in an unusual manner.

“I want to offer a personal apology to the Billups family,” Kroenke said. “They mean the world to me personally, and I know that Chauncey means everything to Denver. And when I say Denver, I mean just Denver basketball on every level. He is Denver basketball. He was a high school star here, he was a college star here, he was a professional star here. It was an incredibly tough decision to include him in this trade.”

The Denver Nuggets today acquired F Wilson Chandler, G Raymond Felton, F Danilo Gallinari, C Kosta Koufos and C Timofey Mozgov as part of a three-team trade with the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Nuggets also received New York’s first-round draft pick in 2014, second-round picks in 2012 and 2013 and cash considerations. The second-round picks were acquired by the Knicks from Golden State last summer.

In exchange, the Nuggets sent F Carmelo Anthony, G Chauncey Billups, G Anthony Carter, F Renaldo Balkman and F Shelden Williams to New York, which traded C Eddy Curry and F Anthony Randolph to Minnesota and will get F Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves.

“Carmelo has been an important part of the best seven-year stretch in Denver Nuggets history. We have shared many special moments and were fortunate to watch him grow into an All-Star and one of the league’s top players,” Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke said. “However, Carmelo made it very clear early in the season that he wasn’t willing to re-commit to the organization and wanted to pursue other opportunities in basketball and life. At that point, we decided it was imperative that we do what was in the best interest of the Denver Nuggets and our fans. We wish Carmelo the best in his career and sincerely thank him for what he’s helped us accomplish.

“I would also like to personally thank Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman and Shelden Williams for their contributions on and off court as members of the Denver Nuggets. I have gotten especially close with Chauncey and Anthony during their time here in Denver and their contributions to this organization and city goes far beyond wins and losses. They will truly be missed.”

Three of the four players acquired by the Nuggets are former first-round draft picks; Felton was taken fifth overall in 2005, Chandler 23rd in 2007 and Gallinari sixth in 2008.

Chandler, 6-8, 225, averaged a career-high 16.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 51 games with the Knicks this season. The 23-year-old has scored at least 20 points 16 times and recorded five double-doubles.

Felton, 6-1, 205, is averaging a career highs in points (17.1), assists (9.0) and steals (1.8) while starting all 54 games in his sixth NBA season. Felton, 26, is fifth in the NBA in assists per game and he joins Utah’s Deron Williams as the only two NBA players averaging at least 17 points and 9 assists.

Gallinari, 6-10, 225, is averaging a career-high 15.9 points and shooting .893 from the free-throw line (sixth in the NBA) in 2010-11. The 22-year-old was second in the league last season with 186 three-pointers.

Koufos, 7-0, 265, appeared in 39 games with Minnesota this season, averaging 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in limited minutes. Mozgov, 7-1, 250, averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in just 13.5 minutes as a part-time starter for the Knicks. The 24-year-old rookie spent the previous six seasons playing professionally in his native Russia.

“We are excited about the talented young players we acquired in this trade,” Kroenke said. “They were valuable contributors to one of the most improved teams in the NBA this season. We are looking forward to making another postseason push. Our goals remain the same: improve every day, play hard every game and bring an NBA championship to Denver.”