Sam Amick, writing for his new NBA Confidential website, says Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor was waiting for Billy King's offer after the Nets failed to acquire Carmelo Anthony...and in fact, it had always been his plan to auction Deron Williams off to the loser in the 'Melo Drama, whether Nets or Knicks. He liked both teams' assets.
"When we looked around the league at quote-unquote ‘destination points,’ I didn’t see anything that was a better deal than this. I think the assets that both the Nets and Knicks had were things that intrigued us," O'Connor told Amick.
"(O’Connor) called me just to say sorry about (not getting) Melo," King told Amick. "We talked about that, and he made another proposal not including Deron. I countered with something including Deron. He said, let me think about it, then he countered another way, then said, ‘let me talk to the owner and let’s talk in the morning.’ He calls in the morning and says, ‘we’ve got a deal.’"
- Dissecting the Deal: How Deron Williams Could Have Gone to New York Instead of New Jersey - Sam Amick - NBA Confidential
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How Deron Williams almost became a Knick (instead of ‘Melo) - Kurt Helin - NBC Sports