The Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly open to dealing just about any player on the roster at the 2012 trade deadline and the club has reportedly dealt star forward Gerald Wallace to the New Jersey Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and a protected first round pick. The move comes with Portland on the outside looking in at a playoff spot in the Western Conference and it makes sense to move Wallace if they feel 2012 is not their year.
We have a few more trade details after the jump...
Source confirms that Portland will send Gerald Wallace to the Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams & 2012 first-rounder (top 3 protected)
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) March 15, 2012
The top-3 protected pick means that at the Trail Blazers will get the Nets' 2012 draft pick assuming they end up outside of the first three selections, which is not guaranteed at this point. As of today, New Jersey features the sixth-worst record in the league. Should they end up with the top-3 pick, Portland would likely get their pick for 2013, although the details are yet to be confirmed.