The Nets general manager has been all in from the beginning, trying all season long to leverage Dwight Howard’s obvious desire to play for the Nets into convincing the Orlando Magic to trade the six-time All Star to New Jersey. And when that fell apart, well, then, King went all in on trying to convince Deron Williams that even if the team doesn’t still end up trading for Dwight Howard, it will still be worth the All-Star point guard’s while to re-sign with the Nets and move to Brooklyn with the team next season.
Getting Gerald Wallace — and potentially giving up this year’s first round pick in order to make that happen — was part of that, as King told reporters Friday, after he broke the news that Brook Lopez is done for the season.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction, and if you look at our team this year, being as banged up (as it was), to beat Chicago in Chicago, Philly in Philly, New York in New York… we won some games in tough places,” King said. “And you see things getting in the right direction. Winning is important. And that’s what I told Deron: ‘We’re not rebuilding this year. We’re going to build this team to win next year.’”
— Reported by Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star-Ledger
