The rumored Gerald Wallace deal with Portland finally went through just as the NBA trade deadline was approaching, according to Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Portland will send Joel Przybilla and two first-round draft picks to the Charlotte Bobcats, with Wallace coming to Portland in return. The trade ends a ridiculous saga that spanned the last two days, with the trade going from on to off and back on again. At one point, Nicolas Batum, Andre Miller, Rudy Fernandez and Przybilla were all mentioned in the deal.
Update: Blazers Edge has the details. It's Wallace for Przybilla, Dante Cunningham and two first-round draft picks. It all makes a bit more sense now.
The price tag appeared to be higher for Wallace in the days leading up to the trade, but Portland got away relatively easy giving up just Przybilla and a second-round pick. At one point, Michael Jordan was asking for some combination of the four listed above, even requesting Batum, who the Bobcats knew was untouchable. With all the moving parts, and a lack of cooperation from Fernandez’s agent, it looked like the deal was destined to die.
Even just a few hours ago, reports indicated talks were dead and the deal wasn’t happening. What changed ahead of the trade deadline? Well, nobody appears to know, but Portland got the guy they were targeting all along.
For the latest trades and rumblings, check out our NBA trade rumors StoryStream. To discuss the trade with Portland fans, check out SB Nation’s Blazers Edge.