Blockbuster No. 2, my friends: SI.com's Ian Thomsen says the Nets have agreed to ship expensive small forward Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee for Chinese star Yi Jianlian and highway bandit Bobby Simmons. No picks involved, says Thomsen.If this happens, it is a monumental deal. While J.O-for-T.J. might matter more on the court next season, Yi landing in New York City (err, at least a few minutes away) is a huge coup. While Milwaukee had adopted Yi as well as any Midwestern city could, the po$$ibilities with the Nets are just phenomenal.
For Milwaukee, this bolsters an already potent offense, shores up the most troublesome position, and either destroys or preserves the common belief Joe Alexander is going here at #8 in tonight's draft, depending on whether the Bucks think JoeAl can play power forward. If not, could Alexander slide down to #10 into N.J.'s waiting grasp? Remember, Alexander speaks Mandarin, and the Nets definitely need a new small forward, assuming Yi sticks to power forward, which he played at in Milwaukee.
Thomsen also notes that Simmons' contract expires in 2010, which is the summer LeBron James potentially becomes a free agent. I could not be more sure that this is only an incredible coincidence.




