Nets trade Yi to Wizards
The New Jersey Nets have traded Yi Jianlian(notes) to the Washington Wizards, a league source said, to move themselves $30 million under the salary cap for free agency.
Washington sent Quinton Ross(notes) to the Nets for Yi, who has been traded twice since the Milwaukee Bucks selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft. The Nets also sent $3 million to the Wizards.
New Nets coach Avery Johnson didn't consider Yi a fit for his system, and the Nets were anxious to clear even more cap space to make a run at LeBron James(notes) and several major free agents.
The Nets will gain $3 million in savings on the trade.
Yi gives the Wizards a versatile 7-footer, who showed flashes of emerging as a good player a season ago.
