On February 23, 2011, the Utah Jazz shook the NBA world by trading 2-time All Star to the New Jersey Nets. By receiving two future first-round picks, the previous #3 overall draft pick Derrick Favors, as well as Devin Harris and about three million dollars cash, it looked like it was a win-win for both teams.

Fast forward four plus years, and it is obvious that the Utah Jazz won this deal. Derrick Favors has turned into a very valuable NBA player. The 6’10” power forward averaged 16 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks during the 2014-15 regular season, while proving that he is a bonafide NBA starter.

If Favors was the only piece the Jazz had gotten in return, that would have been enough in NBA trade standards. But they got much more. One of those future first-round picks ended up being Enes Kanter, and although the Jazz and Kanter had their ups and downs, the trading of Kanter freed up playing time for French center Rudy Gobert.

The three million dollars ended up being the same amount that the Jazz sent to Denver in a trade of the number 46 pick, Erick Green, to the Nuggets for pick #27, which ended up being Rudy Gobert. He averaged 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game last year and has become a key part of the offense

Devin Harris played for one year with the Jazz and lead them to their last playoff appearance in 2011-12. In the summer of 2012, Harris was shipped off to Atlanta for 6’8” forward Marvin Williams. He provided valuable leadership, averaged 8.2 points a game and shot 34% from the three-point line in his two seasons in Utah.

The last piece of the trade the Jazz received was a future first that was conveyed through the Nets originally from the Golden State Warriors. After the pick was lottery protected for the first two years, the Jazz finally received it in 2013. That pick #21 overall was combined with the Jazz’s own #14 pick to trade to Minnesota for the #9 pick, which they used to select national college player of the year, Trey Burke.

In a nutshell, the Utah Jazz received through the Deron Williams trade and moving pieces the following players: Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, Trey Burke and Marvin Williams.Amongst NBA General Managers and professional writers, the Jazz won this trade.

It took four years for Brooklyn to hate Deron Williams and Williams to hate Brooklyn. Just last week, Williams agreed to a contract buyout with the Nets, so he could return home and play for his childhood favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks. His two year deal is worth around 10 million and has a player option for year two. Despite all that, maybe the time has been long enough for Jazz fans to accept that he isn’t the villain any more.