Nets CEO Brett Yormark has been waiting seven years for the move to Brooklyn. Yormark is excited for the move and looks to unveil the organization’s new logos and colors next week.

Brett Yormark joined WFAN in New York with Boomer & Carton to discuss the Nets leaving New Jersey after the season concludes, the possibility of moving to Brooklyn without Deron Williams next season, the New Jersey Nets building a contender in the off-season without first round draft picks, the Barclays Center hosting the New York Islanders, and the Nets unveiling their new logo next week.

Is it bittersweet you are leaving New Jersey?

“Personally it is a little bittersweet. I grew up going down to the rack. I was a Nets fan since I was 10 years old, but obviously I came here seven years ago to take this team to Brooklyn and one thing we have been is open and honest to the fans. We’ve said all along our intent was to go to Brooklyn and now we are finally on the brink of opening the Barclays Center and renaming and rebranding this franchise. I am very excited about.”

What’s the last year been like with getting Deron Williams and now the possibility of not having him next year in Brooklyn?

“Our point from day one has always been be good when you get to Brooklyn, so whether it was to be good two years ago or this summer? It didn’t really make a difference. The goal is we wanted to bring a good product to Brooklyn next fall. I have all of the confidence in the world with respect to Billy King and Avery [Johnson] and ownership that we will bring a good product to Brooklyn. This team is bigger than one particular player or two players, so I’m convinced we’ll look very differently going into Brooklyn and I am convinced we will have a good team that people in Brooklyn will certainly root for.”

How are you going to be good next year without first round draft picks?

“Well listen I think we have a lot of flexibility heading into the summer when you think of cap space and opportunities for Billy [King] to really maneuver this roster and I leave that up to him and Avery [Johnson] and ownership. Like I said I am convinced we are going to have a good product in Brooklyn. There’s a plan in place and maybe things didn’t unfold the way we would have liked earlier and that meaning this year or last year, but I am convinced when we get to Brooklyn we will be in better shape than we are now.”

How legitimate is it that the Barclays Center could host the New York Islanders? Is that legitimate?

“Yeah. I think so. We are going to test it a little bit in the fall on October 2nd when the Islanders play the Devils. We are very excited about it. In the first two weeks of tickets going on sale we sold over 6,000 seats, so there is a built in fan base in Brooklyn and we can accommodate hockey, NHL quality hockey at the Barclays Center. We are excited about that.”

No other changes for the team? Will they be the Brooklyn Nets?

“Brooklyn Nets. Next monday on the 30th [of April] we will unveil our new logo, our new identity, our team colors. Merchandise will be available in market as of next Monday as we really go through a transformation going to Brooklyn.”

Listen to Brett Yormark on 660 WFAN in New York here

The Nets point guard broke the franchise’s previous mark of 52 points, shared by Ray Williams and Mike Newlin. No.8 is making his case for why he is the best point guard in the NBA night-after-night. The Nets are looking to keep Williams off the free agent mark this off-season by acquiring Dwight Howard during the trade deadline next week. Can Williams’s 57-point performance lure Howard to Brooklyn next season? Looks like we’ll find out next week.

Deron Williams joined 660 WFAN in New York with Joe and Evan to discuss his 57-point performance against the Charlotte Bobcats, his 57-point performance being the best game of his career, the possibility of Dwight Howard becoming a member of the New Jersey Nets, changing his style of play knowing that Brook Lopez was hurt for the Nets, getting any extra motivation to go up against Chris Paul, monitoring the NBA trade deadline next week and Rajon Rondo’s remarkable triple-double against the Knicks.

Congrats on the 57-point performance:

“We needed a win man. That’s all it was and I got hot and kind of rolled with that.”

When you look back on all the great games you’ve had in your career is this going to be the game that stands out? Is this the best game of your career in your opinion?

“It’s hard to say. I’ve had some other good games where I’ve had close to 40 points and like 17 assists, so it’s tough to say. This is definitely my best scoring night by far. My previous career high was 42.”

How would Dwight Howard rather be a Net? Free agency or a trade?

“I have no clue. You would have to talk to him. [Evan Roberts: Has he told you? Honestly?] Hasn’t told me anything.”

Did it change your philosophy to not have Brook Lopez on the floor?

“I wasn’t sure he wasn’t coming back until the 4th quarter. By that time I was already hot.”

Do you get any extra motivation when you go up against a guy like Chris Paul?

“I always like playing against a guy like Chris. We’re good friends and are going to be linked with each other forever because we went #3 and #4 in the draft. I definitely enjoy playing against him.”

Are you monitoring the days until the trade deadline next week?

“Not really cause it’s not in my control and I am just trying not to worry about it and trying to win basketball games. We’re trying to make a playoff push and that’s where my focus is.”

What did you think about Rajon Rondo’s triple-double against the Knicks?

“I thought it was more impressive than mine personally. He almost put up 20 [points], 20 [rebounds] and 20 [assists]. That’s tough to do. My career-high in rebounds is 9.”

Listen to Deron Williams on 660 WFAN in New York here

Humphries, of course, rose to fame by marrying Kim Kardashian, an arrangement that didn’t last very long at all. That said, I can’t imagine he went into the whole situation simply looking for fame, and it’s not his fault people love to watch such silly television. The bottom line is the guy is averaging more than 13 points and more than 1o rebounds a game, so give him a break.

Kris Humphries joined ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt to discuss beating the Knicks, a chat he had with Jeremy Lin, Deron Williams playing with a chip on his shoulder, reacting to negative vibes from the fans, what he makes of the negativity that built from things that happened off the floor, maneuvering through uncharted waters in that regard and surprising people by averaging a double-double.

You guys beat the Knicks 100-92 on Monday. How important was that game to you guys?:

“It was important because they had the crowd going with them. They’re all hyped up, Linsanity, all that. It was an important game for us to get out to a really good start and play from ahead.”

You talked to Jeremy Lin after the game. What was that all about?:

“I saw him in the tunnel outside the locker room after the game. I’ve kind of known him since his rookie year because we did an autograph signing thing in L.A. at the All-Star game last year. He’s a really nice guy and he just said, ‘I don’t know why they boo you, but I think it’s crap and you’re playing really well.’ That was nice of him to say. He’s a really nice guy, a competitor and it’s nice to see great things happen for nice people.”

How good is Deron Williams when he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder?:

“The guy is unbelievable. I get a chance to see it every day. I always say he’s one of those guys who’s capable of scoring 30, really 40, and he could have a game with 20 assists as well. There’s not a lot of point guards that can score that well or distribute that well.”

Do you try to embrace the negative energy that often comes your way during games?:

“I love a hostile environment. There’s nothing better than sending 19,000 people home upset [Monday] night in the Garden. We love that. People are out there getting rowdy, whether they’re booing me or not. But to get a win like that felt great and sometimes you’ve just got to mess with the crowd back.”

What do you make of getting that negative attention and booing for things that happened away from the floor?:

“I think that sometimes the typical sports fan that comes to the game may not understand you or kind of looks at it as ‘Why are you doing this or that?’ At the end of the day it’s about coming to the gym and what you do on the court. I think true basketball people respect guys that, no matter what’s going on in their life, they approach the game the same way — focus and play hard. People have been aggressive on the road, but no one is supposed to cheer for you on the road, so it’s all good.”

True, but your rise to fame was kind of uncharted waters. Is it safe to say there was no handbook on how to handle all of that?:

“I always just say life happens and you just roll with it. One thing, through everything that’s gone on in the past, is that basketball has always been extremely important, no matter what I’m doing. I devote a ton of time to basketball whether people see that or not. When I come on the court, people have got to know that they’re not getting cheated as a fan, especially at home. I’m out there well-prepared and ready to do what I’ve got to do.”

Do you think you’ve surprised people by averaging a double-double?:

“I think that anytime you’ve got a lot going on in your life, people want to say, ‘Hey, maybe this is more important than basketball’ or other things, ‘He’s distracted.’ … I don’t ever want Coach Johnson to come in and say, ‘You look like you’re not focused. You’re distracted.’ … I work every day to stay on top of my game so no one can ever excuse me of those things.”

Listen to Kris Humphries on ESPN Radio here (Interview begins at 9:40)

As for his star player Deron Williams? The Nets head coach believes Williams is buying into the program and excited about the future of this team.

Avery Johnson joined WFAN in New York with Mike Francesca to discuss the New Jersey Nets fighting through injuries this season, the New Jersey Nets playing hard despite injuries, demanding a lot out of his players, coaching a star player in Deron Williams and being in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes.

How is it with your walking wounded this season?

“We are still walking and wounded. Hopefully we’ll be running a little bit tonight, but we’ve had to survive a rash of injuries. Brook Lopez breaks his foot in the last preseason game at Madison Square Garden. Marshon Brooks has a fractured toe. He’s out for awhile. Damion James our starting small forward re-fractures his foot and Mehmet Okur has a bad back. Again we have been able to survive and it’s a testimony to and a testament to the young guys that we have and Deron Williams leadership with our young team.”

The team has played hard for you day in and day out:

“Yeah and we play well on the road. That win last week in Philadelphia was a big win. [Mike Francesa: They have been creaming people at home] They swept us last year. We didn’t have any success against the Sixers. For also to go back and beat a Cleveland team that beat us early in the year. [Mike Francesa: They just beat the Celtics] Yeah they just beat the Celtics. Again for us like I told you before when I first interviewed with you last year when I first took the job: It’s baby steps. We gotta take some baby steps. Hopefully we’ll get healthy at some point and hopefully we’ll get Brook Lopez back where we can get a chance to see what our team is going to look like as we move on into Brooklyn.”

Your style is demanding and you ask a lot of your players:

“Yeah, but the key is the relationship that I have with ownership, our general manager, Billy King. We don’t have the circus atmosphere around us right now. We’re not trying to trade any of our players. We’ve been going through a lot of that stuff with the Carmelo[Anthony] stuff last year. The Dwight Howard stuff this year. I think for us we have been able to focus on the players that we have that are healthy enough to play when we have a chance to practice, which is rare with this crazy schedule. We’re focused and our guys – guys like Sheldon Williams and Jordan Farmar, guys who don’t really get a lot of press play hard. Like I said Deron Williams, he’s doing a great job with leadership and it makes it easier for our coaching staff.”

How do you deal with your star player? Does it make it tough on you with all the speculation surrounding Deron Williams?

“Not really because our star player has been really consistent. He’s a very a good player and plays very hard. He’s been really consistent with his approach. He basically told us he loves what we are doing and he loves the vision. He’s excited about playing in the Barclays Center [in Brooklyn] and that’s all we can do. We’ve shown him exactly the blue print of what we are trying to do, what we are trying to build. We drafted Marshon Brooks, which was a really good draft pick. We think Brook Lopez when he is healthy is one of the top three to five centers in the NBA. We have three pointing shooting. We couldn’t make a three point shot last year. We make a lot of them this year, so again this year we’ll have another good draft pick, whatever the number is, we have plenty of money to spend in free agency. We have the blueprint. We just gotta keep adding to it and with Deron, we get along really well and I think he is excited about where we are going.”

You are in the mix for Dwight Howard, but with the way that is going you know he is going somewhere soon. The face of league is going to change in the next couple of weeks:

“It’ll be interesting when it does. I think right now everybody is waiting to get past All-Star [Game] and then you’ll probably see a lot of movement in the league in March.”

Listen to Avery Johnson on 660 WFAN in New York here

Deron Williams is the most important piece to the Nets future moving forward. He really dictates the pace of the franchise with his decision at the end of the season. Williams will not be signing a contract extension with the Nets purely because it’s not a smart move financially and it has nothing to do with the franchise. Williams has expressed his dream to play with Dwight Howard in the following interview and only time will tell if Brooklyn next year will be the destination where it happens.

Deron Williams joined WFAN in New York with Joe and Evan to discuss staying with the Nets at the end of the year, the players he would prefer the Nets to sign in free agency, staying with the Nets if they land Dwight Howard, opting out of his contract right now because it was the smart move to make with the new CBA, the chances of signing with the New York Knicks, being close with Dwight Howard, who he thinks Dwight Howard will sign with, Dwight Howard signing with the Nets, the one player he would love to play with, Dwight Howard being traded and the likelihood that he will be a member of the Nets when they move to Brooklyn next year.

Now let’s get down to it. Are you going to stay at the end of the year? Are you thinking about other options?

“My plan is to stay. Hopefully we can get some good talent to where I can stay because I think this is a great organization. They are heading in a great direction especially with the move to Brooklyn – the new arena – everything is in place. I think we are going to get players. I think guys are going to want to come play in Brooklyn and play with me.”

Do you have a preference for who you want on this team? Let’s be honest Billy King is going to listen to what you say:

“I might not tell you anything when it comes to that either. We talked a lot before the lockout. I haven’t been able to talk with him at all during the lockout, but I got to talk to him today for a couple of minutes before I came here, but we got some guys. [Evan Roberts: Do you need bigs?] We need a center to go with Brook Lopez. I think Brook could play the four for us. They are both [Tyson Chandler and Nene] good players. You can’t really go wrong with either one of those guys. They are both very talented big men. They both bring a little bit of different styles.”

If the Nets land Dwight Howard is it fair to say you will be a Net next year?

“I think if you are a point guard and you play with Dwight Howard and you decide to leave you are not very smart.”

When it came out that would opt out of your contract at the end of the year my first reaction was well Deron Williams isn’t an idiot. I saw the CBA. You are going to make less money. You could sign for less years if you sign now. How much of that goes into it? This new CBA makes it better for you to opt out:

“Well that’s exactly – that’s what it was. Financially it makes sense for me to opt out. There’s no reason to sign an extension right now barring an injury. I should be able to make that money back. It has nothing to do with the Nets. I like I said I love the organization. The organization is great. My preference would be stay here for the future. We’ll see how it goes this year. We’ll see in the next couple of days. It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be a whirlwind the next couple of days.”

Is there a chance you would go to the Knicks?

“That would be very unlikely.”

How close are you with Dwight Howard? Are you guys buddies?

“We talk quite a bit.”

What do you think Dwight Howard is going to do? Is he going to stay in Orlando?

“I don’t know. [Evan Roberts: Has he ever mentioned it would be cool to play with you?] We’ve talked. I am not going to get into what we talk about, but we’ve talked at times.”

Do you think Dwight Howard would sign with the Nets?

“I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him lately, so I don’t know.”

Who’s the one player you would love to play with?

“I think it would probably be Dwight Howard. I think he is the most dominant big man in the game right now. Safe to say.”

Do you think Dwight Howard will be traded?

“I don’t know anything. I haven’t been talking – I couldn’t tell you. That’s why I said it’s going to be crazy because I think it could be a lot of guys moving teams and the NBA could be looking totally different with the amnesty and all that. You don’t know who is going to get amnestied. You just hear talks. Rumors don’t mean much to me. Sources. That doesn’t mean much to me. When I see stuff happen that is when I will know.”

Give me the percentage that you will be a Net opening up the Brooklyn arena?

“You are not going to stop are you? [Laughs] I’d probably say like 90%.”

Listen to Deron Williams on 660 WFAN in New York here

Billy King sounds confident in the Nets chances of talking Deron Williams into a contract extension by the time they move to Brooklyn next season. That would be a huge factor in possibly landing Dwight Howard, but didn’t the owners just have a lockout with the idea of stopping superstar players from aligning to make super teams? Folks let’s also remember now the Nets were “getting” LeBron James in the summer of 2010 because of Mikhail Prokhorov. Then the Nets were “close” to getting Carmelo Anthony during the NBA trade deadline last season. Will the Nets land the big fish that is Dwight Howard this time around?

Billy King joined WFAN in New York with Joe and Evan to discuss Deron Williams staying with the Nets if the team wins immediately, Kris Humphries being a top priority to bring back this season, the report that the Nets are preparing to make Dwight Howard an offer, the status of Deron Williams’s contract extension, the possibility of trading Deron Williams right away if he doesn’t want to sign an extension and being confident that Deron Williams will sign a contract extension.

Is winning now going to be the key factor in Deron Williams staying with the Nets and signing a contract extension?

“I think when we made a trade to get Deron that moved it up where winning is even more of a priority. Last year we were really young when we started the season. We were in that rebuilding mode, but now you have a player like Deron. You have Brook Lopez. I mean the goal is to win. Our goal is to try to put a product on the court that we can get ourselves in the playoffs. It’s not just about for Deron. I think it’s for our fans and me and Avery Johnson. We are competitive. I want to win.”

How much of a priority is it to bring back Kris Humphries since the team needs a big man?

“I spoke to Marc Cornstein, his agent. I guess we could talk at 9 a.m. I was on the phone by 9:05 a.m. letting him know our interest in him.”

Would you like to comment on the report this morning that you are preparing an offer to Dwight Howard?

“[Laughs] This amazing thing is I have not had a conversation with Orlando in about a year. To wake up and see that is like ‘Wow.’ Then I try to figure within the new rules again how does that even happen? Sometimes you wake up and you read things and it’s pretty interesting.”

When is Deron Williams available to sign an extension? Do you think he will immediately? Do you think he will wait?

“He is eligible now. I am waiting for a lot of the rules to come in for how long that period is or whatever it is going to be, but he’s able to. I have not had a conversation with his reps about that at the present time because we only started talking today, but in due time we will have that conversation.”

If Deron Williams doesn’t sign that extension right away will you start to worry about that? Would you consider trading Deron Williams if he doesn’t sign an extension right away?

“Absolutely not.”

Are you confident that Deron Williams will sign an extension?

“Fortunately I was around him quite a bit before July 1st and I felt pretty good. I still feel pretty good because we have a lot of things going for him. We got a brand new building that will be opening next season. He can be the face of a franchise in a major market, so I think there is a lot of positives in our situation for him. In the other situations those guys have been with those teams for awhile. They may want to look. They may not. I don’t know.”

Listen to Billy King on 660 WFAN in New York here

Williams joined The Dan Patrick Show to talk about the birth of his new child, his game-winner against the Celtics on Monday night, the closer’s mentality that all great players have at the end of games, if he thinks the Nets can remain hot and make a push towards the playoffs, the toughest team he’s played against this year either in New Jersey or Utah, how he’s getting used to switching who his chief rivals are following a move from the Western to Eastern conference, whether he thinks he’ll remain with the Nets beyond this season, if he’s had a chance to talk to Jay-Z yet, how he heard about his trade from Chris Broussard on television, how he’s not resentful about how his tenure in Utah ended, and if there’s nothing more to the end of his relationship with Jazz and Jerry Sloan than has already been discussed.

On what it’s like being away from his growing family for an extended period of time while he settles in with his new team in New Jersey:

“I don’t know, this is my first time so it’s tough.”

If there were a shot clock on him while changing a diaper, how long would it need to be:

“I’m fast man. I change a lot of diapers in my life.”

On his game-winner against the Celtics the other night, and if that’s how Avery Johnson drew it up in the huddle:

“I mean, it wasn’t necessarily for a 3. The play was for me to catch it off the in-bounds, come off a pick-and-roll and have the whole side cleared out. But there were eight seconds left on the clock, and me and Jordan Farmar were talking about it, and I said ‘I’m probably going to pull up for a 3. And that’s what I did.”

On having a killer instinct or mentality at the end of games, and if he craves having the ball in his hands in crunch time to make those types of plays:

“I think so. I think all the best players in this league, they want the ball in their hands to make a play. Whether it’s a shot or, you know, I’ve made a lot of game-winning passes because I have a lot of confidence in my teammates. I think you’ve just got to want the ball in your hands to make a play, period, at the end of the game.”

If he thinks the Nets can stay hot and make a push towards the playoffs:

“It’s going to be tough. It’s not going to be a cakewalk and we’re going to need some help from Indiana and Charlotte, but we’re right there. We’re not too many games back. We do have some tough games ahead of  us, but it’s a good test to see where we’re really at.”

On the toughest team he feels he’s played against — either in Utah or New Jersey:

“I’d say San Antonio. They just know how to manage, they know how to play and they  know how to win. They’re just consistent. So consistent.”

On switching conferences and how that alters who his chief rivals are on a consistent basis:

“Well that’s why I say you’ve got to switch your hatred. I’ve got to switch my hatred from the Lakers, the Spurs, now I’ve got to switch it to the Bulls, the Celtics. So it’s different.”

If he plans on staying in New Jersey beyond the 2010-2011 season:

“I don’t know. I can’t tell anything until the CBA is decided. In reality, I still have two more years on my contract. I can’t sign an extension until I opt out; I can’t opt out until after next year. So there’s really nothing to talk about. Because there’s nothing saying that I’m going to opt out.”

On Avery Johnson making it sound like he’ll likely be back with the Nets into the future:

“Well they’re doing everything possible to get me to stay here and I’m enjoying my time here so far. I think the organization is great. The players are great and the coaching staff is great. I’m having a lot of fun.”

If he’s had the chance to talk Jay-Z yet:

“Yeah I’ve talked to him a couple of times. He just let me know how excited he was to have me on board and have me on the team. And he looks forward to the future of the Nets, especially with the move to Brooklyn.”

On who told him that he was being traded from Utah to New Jersey:

“I think it was Chris Broussard that told me.”

Wait, he found out he got traded while watching ESPN?

“Yeah, I was just watching T.V.”

Whether he was offended that he found out that way:

“No, not at all man. It’s a business. That’s how it goes sometimes. They called me it. It was like two minutes later. He didn’t say the trade was done; he said it was almost done, almost finalized. So I put a call into my agent and he didn’t know anything about it. Than our owner called me and informed me. So that’s how I found it.”

If he could quickly clear up what happened with him and Jerry Sloan:

“I’m done clearing it up. People are going to think what they want. People want controversy. I’ve said it, he’s said it, so I don’t know what else people want clarification from. We’ve had arguments over the years, this wasn’t worse than any of them. And that’s all that was. He decided to step down, but I don’t think that was because of me. I never informed anybody that he needed to step down or it was me or him or anything of that nature.”

Is Derek Rose the MVP?

“Right now, yeah, I think so. I think so.”

Listen here to Williams on The Dan Patrick Show

Devin Harris joined KFNZ in Salt Lake City to talk about what he thinks of the world of professional basketball that he lives in, what it was like playing in New Jersey, and if the Jazz are going to get the same player he was in the 2008-09 season.

What he thinks of the world he lives in:

“It is awkward but it is something that we love.  It is a business.  We move around a lot but it is something that you enjoy doing.  The travel is great.  Obviously we get to do things that you can only dream of but it is a fun living and I enjoy doing it.”

What it was like playing in New Jersey:

“It wasn’t my best couple of years as far as winning-wise.  It was tough coming in to replace Jason Kidd and with the ownership with way it was going they sort of cut salaries and we dealt pretty tough.  Obviously being one of the worst teams in the history was very tough and not getting out to a great start this year.  It was something I am glad I went through.  Obviously it shows you that you could be at the top and that very easily you could go down to the bottom.  I am very anxious to get back to the top of that, winning.”

Whether he got bored or tired after the first 30 games this season:

“Neither.  I would say more of just try to change the way I play for the sake of the team.  We made some trades I sacrificed my offense a little bit to get the team going and try to win more games.”

If the Jazz are going to get the same player he was in the 2008-09 season:

“Hopefully so.  That is definitely the level I am trying to get back to.  I think I can do that with this type of team.  Like I said, I am looking to get back into that rare form.”

How he goes about trying to get all of his belongings shipped to Utah:

“I have been through a mid-season trade before.  This is what I did.  I only packed for a two day trip.  I shipped probably a fourth of my wardrobe to the hotel in Utah, car will be on the way.  So I think I can manage and live in the hotel for the hotel for the rest of the season and just kind of chill and hangout.”

Devin Harris on KFNZ in Salt Lake City with David Locke (the interview start at the 9:27 mark)

Even though the team gave up a big part of the future with draft picks, Derrick Favors, and Devin Harris, they needed a star to bring to Brooklyn with them and it’s not every day that a team can make a trade for one of the best point guards in the league. It was a risky move for the Nets, but one worth taking. They have the most important piece and can worry about 2012 when that time comes.

Deron Williams joined WFAN in New York with Joe and Evan to talk about what he was thinking when the trade went down, whether or not it was true that he found out by watching TV, if he still thinks the Nets can be a playoff team, what happened between him and Jerry Sloan, and what he wants to see happen in New Jersey to keep him around.

What he was thinking when he first heard about the trade:

“I was thinking that I was going from a potential playoff team to a team where it was going to be pretty hard to make the playoffs was my first thought. After a while, after comprehending, and getting on the phone with Billy King and seeing his vision and then talking to Coach Johnson, it got me excited about a new, fresh start.”

If it’s true that he heard the news after watching TV:

“I was shocked because I didn’t know what was going on. I did really find out from the organization. It looked like it was a rumor. Chris Broussard said it was almost done so I called my agent to try and find out what was going on. He went to call Kevin O’Connor our GM and then I ended up getting a call from the owner Greg Miller and he told me they had made a deal for me and wished me good luck.”

Whether or not he thinks the Nets can be a playoff team as soon as this year:

“Like you said it will be hard. I never said it wasn’t but it’s not impossible. We’re going to take it one game at a time. I’m going to start by learning these plays on this flight right now and see how it goes tomorrow.”

If he thinks his relationship with Jerry Sloan led to Sloan leaving Utah:

“I don’t think so. We’ve bumped heads a couple of times throughout my career. It was never a big deal the next day. I don’t think that in anyway led to him resigning. I think he was tired and it was not like it was his fourth year coaching. He had been doing it for 30 years and was 69-years-old. His legacy will never be forgotten, he’s a Hall-Of-Famer and I appreciate everything he has done for me throughout my career.”

Whether or not he believes you have to have multiple stars now to compete:

“Of course. You kinda have to now. That’s what everyone is doing. You’ve got Boston with the big four, Miami with their big three, and San Antonio with their big three. That’s the trend now and I’m gonna look to recruit guys legally. No tampering. I want to make sure people know there’s no tampering involved, but just bring some guys in here.”

What it will take to keep him in New Jersey:

“Since I’ve been in this league my ultimate goal is a championship. I want that and hopefully this franchise is going in the right direction. A lot of things appeal to me. The move to Brooklyn and we have a lot of money to get marquee guys and bring some guys in here is definitely appealing to me. At the end of this contract when I can sit down and decide things that’s when I will decide, but until then I’m not concerned about my future.”

Listen to Deron Williams on WFAN in New York here

Williams had one year left on his three-year deal, one that was originally signed to give him options to get out of Salt Lake City if that’s what he wanted to do. Instead, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor sent him packing Wednesday in a deal to New Jersey for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, some first-round picks and cash.

All of that was too much for O’Connor and the Jazz to pass up given that they couldn’t ensure with 100 percent confidence that Williams would stick around after next season.

Kevin O’Connor joined KFNZ in Salt Lake City with Scott Garrard to discuss if the spat with Jerry Sloan punched Williams’ ticket out of town, if there were discussions about dealing him prior to that, what the Carmelo Anthony deal meant for this one, the risk/reward of getting Williams out before trying to re-sign him to stay in Utah, the pieces the Jazz got in return for Williams and the identity of the ever-changing team at this point.

If trading Deron Williams had anything to do with a spat with Jerry Sloan:

“No. It had zero impact on today.”

If there were discussions of trading Williams before that:

“You always look, yeah, absolutely. But let’s take it back a step further. You have discussions about every player and I think that’s what people don’t understand. … We have conversations all the time.”

How much was he sitting back and waiting for the Carmelo Anthony drama to end:

“It’s like a housing market, it sets a price. And I think it set a price for what it was. I’d like to think that we, from our point of view, when you give away an All-Star you better get something in return. I think what we felt was return, if Denver probably wanted to accept that offer more than the Knicks’ offer, but they wouldn’t re-sign there, so they had to take the Knicks offer. That tells you a couple things, first, that it’s a pretty good offer. … And the second thing is you’re in the ballpark for continuing to have conversations.”

On needing to get something for Williams before he potentially left during free agency:

“The focus we really basically had was, ‘What was the percentage that Deron would stay or not stay and how close to 100 percent on the return was this deal?’ We felt it was really close and, therefore, it wasn’t worth the risk.”

His thoughts on Derrick Favors:

“He’s a big, raw, young player. … But what we look at is physicality, athleticism and size. Those three things he’s got and those three things are difficult to come by. … We got a young one and let’s see how he develops. … Those steps that he’s got to take and they’re going to be baby steps because he’s not ready yet. But what we did get was Devin Harris who’s a good point guard, an upper-tier point guard, who certainly helped Dallas win a lot of games and then got caught up in a rebuilding process.”

What is the identity of the Jazz right now?:

“I think the identity is change right now. What it really is is I don’t think you can have an identity, as far as individuals go, if you’ve changed them. … What it is is hopefully the stability and the foundation that was laid … that we’ll continue that. You’ll be able to come out to a game and watch us compete hard, watch us have good players on the floor and hopefully watch us be smart enough to get players to help us win.”

Listen to Kevin O’Connor on KFNZ in Salt Lake City here