"On Monday night, the Nets got the crushing news that their all-out bid to get Carmelo Anthony had failed, and the Denver Nuggets had decided to trade Anthony to the rival Knicks.

Today, the Nets rebounded in the biggest way imaginable.

In a stunning move that caught most of the league by surprise, the Nets acquired All-Star point guard Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz, trading point guard Devin Harris and rookie power forward Derrick Favors, plus two first-round draft picks and cash, believed to be $3 million.

Acquiring Williams, who has averaged 21.3 points and 9.7 assists for the Jazz this season, gives the Nets the legitimate NBA star the franchise has been seeking since Jason Kidd was traded in 2008. The 6-3, 209-pound Williams is one of the top point guards — indeed, one of the top players — in the league.

"Very rarely are you able to trade for somebody who's arguably — arguably — the best at their position," Nets coach Avery Johnson said after the Nets practiced for the first time since the All-Star break. "We know we had to give up a lot to get him but we felt it was worth it."

Williams will be introduced to the media Thursday at a 3 p.m. press conference at the Nets' practice facility. Coincidentally, 3 p.m. happens to be the NBA's trade deadline, and the Nets were still working tonight on making more deals.

The Nets stayed active tonight, sending Troy Murphy to the Golden State Warriors, along with a second-round pick in 2012, for backup big men Dan Gadzuric and Brandan Wright.

General manager Billy King suggested that, besides Murphy, "I don't foresee myself doing anything else."

However, Johnson seemed to think the Nets weren't necessarily done.

"I think we're looking at some other situations," besides Murphy, Johnson said.

The only worry for the Nets in acquiring Williams is that they will have to sign him to a contract extension. He's signed through next season and has the option to become a free agent in the summer of 2012, which means the Nets have the rest of this season and all of next to sell him on their vision of moving to Brooklyn and building themselves up to be one of the elite teams in the NBA and a global brand."