The Washington Wizards are reportedly "close" acquiring Yi Jianlian from the New Jersey Nets, according to Al Iannazzone, a Nets beat writer for the Record in Northern New Jersey.
The team is working on a deal with the Wizards that would send Yi and cash to Washington for a player who makes "significantly less" than what the Nets’ power forward earns. Three sources confirmed this is in the process of getting done.
The player is Quinton Ross, who earns $1.14 million. Yi is set to earn $4.05 million. The roughly $3 million savings the Nets will create will give them around $30 million available to spend on free agents.
This is the rare trade that might be hated by fans of both teams. Wizards fans will not like spending the extra money on a player who has been a disappointment thus far in his career, while Nets fans might think the team is getting .50 cents on the dollar for a prospect who may not have reached his peak as a player.
More on the potential trade as it becomes available.