The Brooklyn Nets have come to terms with the Atlanta Hawks on a multiplayer trade that will land them All-Star guard Joe Johnson in exchange for several players with expiring contracts, according to ESPN.

The deal calls for the Nets to send the expiring contracts of Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, and DeShawn Stevenson and a future first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Johnson. This trade allows the Nets to meet two of their key objectives, as they managed to keep promising guard MarShon Brooks out of the trade.

With this trade Nets officials are hopeful that the acquisition of Johnson will convince Williams to choose Brooklyn over Dallas in free agency when Williams makes his decision.

The Nets can offer Williams a five-year deal worth nearly $100 million. The Mavericks can only counter with a four-year deal in the $75 million range. The Nets have been trying for months to provide another All-Star to prove to Williams that they will continue to put quality pieces around him if chooses Brooklyn over Dallas.

Brooklyn has already agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal with the other top unrestricted free agent, small forward Gerald Wallace. The Nets could work on a sign-and-trade deal with Wallace when the official signing period begins on July 11, but sources say Wallace has been ensured that is not the Nets intention.

Dwight Howard's hopes of moving to Brooklyn may be all but just hope now that the trade for Johnson and the signing of Wallace have occurred.

Howard's preferred destinations, when he first alerted the Magic that he wanted to be traded last season, were the Nets, Mavericks, and Los Angeles Lakers, in that order. The Lakers however, have fallen back into the mix of 28 other teams, said sources close to Howard.

The Hawks, meanwhile, did not get much in the way of talent that can make an immediate impact, but Atlanta management could not pass on the opportunity to deal Johnson's contract, which still owes him nearly $90 million over the next four seasons.