The Exchange
Utah's official all-time transaction history confirms the June 28, 2005 deal: Portland sent the No. 3 pick, which became Deron Williams, for No. 6 Martell Webster, No. 27 Linas Kleiza and a conditional 2006 first-round pick that ultimately became No. 30 Joel Freeland. Basketball-Reference's Portland transaction log independently matches the package. The trade was not simply Williams for Webster; Portland received three first-round assets and immediately used one of them in another draft-night move.
Utah Return
Williams became the franchise-level point guard Utah was paying to reach. He appeared in 439 regular-season games for the Jazz from 2005-06 through the 2011 trade to New Jersey, became a full-time starter in his second season, and developed into one of the league's top playmakers. He made the All-NBA Second Team in 2007-08 and 2009-10 and was an All-Star in 2010 and 2011. Utah also reached the 2007 Western Conference finals with Williams averaging 19.2 points and 8.6 assists in that postseason. Those are direct Jazz results, so no later Nets or Cavaliers production is needed to justify an elite grade.
Portland Return
Portland's side was better than the legacy D- suggests. Webster played 301 regular-season games for the Trail Blazers across five seasons and started 164 of them, including 70 starts in 2007-08 and 49 in 2009-10. The No. 27 pick became Linas Kleiza, whose rights Portland packaged with its own No. 35 pick Ricky Sanchez to acquire No. 22 Jarrett Jack from Denver. Because another Portland asset was required, only part of Jack's three-season, 240-game Portland value should be credited back to this Utah trade. The protected 2006 first-rounder conveyed at No. 30 as Joel Freeland, who later played 151 games for Portland from 2012-13 through 2014-15.
Final Verdict
Portland converted the package into multiple useful rotation seasons, so the deal was not a barren return. The gap is still large: Utah obtained a two-time All-NBA point guard who drove a four-year playoff run and a conference-finals appearance, while Portland's assets produced depth and secondary starters rather than a comparable centerpiece. Utah receives an A+ because the aggressive move up landed a genuine franchise lead guard. Portland receives a C+ because Webster, partial downstream Jarrett Jack value and Freeland created real utility, but the combined realized return fell well short of Williams' Utah peak. Final verdict: Utah Jazz Win.