Deron Williams contacted Joe Johnson before the Brooklyn Nets agreed to a trade with the Hawks.

"Four or five days before the trade, Deron called me," Johnson said. "He said, 'what do you think about coming to Brooklyn?' I was like, 'man, where are you getting this from?' ... I don't know what kind of strings he was pulling, but he made it happen."

Williams will have less pressure on him offensively playing with Johnson.

"He's going to be a lot happier," Avery Johnson said. "It's not anything based on contract; it's based on our roster, and us having the ability to win games and compete every single night. He's got a little bounce in his step. He's got a lot of pep in his step. We had a lot of sleepless nights the last two years, and he and I spent a lot of those nights in restaurants, talking about vision, talking about building to where we are today. He's really excited."