Hours after acquiring the No. 3 pick from Portland, Utah filled a desperate need on Tuesday night by selecting Illinois point guard Deron Williams.

To position themselves to get Williams, who because of his size and style of play is often compared to Jason Kidd, the Jazz sent Portland the No. 6 and the No. 27 picks in this draft and a future first-round pick they had acquired from Detroit.

No players were involved in the deal, which gave the Jazz their most significant position in the draft since 1982, when they selected but eventually traded Dominique Wilkins.

The Jazz will not trade Williams.

Team officials became enamored with him during a pre-draft workout and interview. Then, they outbid a brigade of teams that also wanted the No. 3 pick that Portland decided to auction off long ago.

After Milwaukee made University of Utah center Andrew Bogut the No. 1 pick and Atlanta selected North Carolina forward Marvin Williams with the second pick, the Jazz quickly gobbled up Williams.

"This is the guy we wanted," O'Connor said. "He's a winner. He's a point guard. He wants to make everybody on the floor better. If you're around him, it's infectious. We're thrilled to have him on board."

"We paid a big price," coach Jerry Sloan said, ". . . but we feel comfortable with it."

According to O'Connor, trading up to get Williams was enthusiastically approved by

Jazz owner Larry Miller.

"Larry has a tendency to be a competitor," O'Connor said ". . . He said, 'Let's go for it.' "

Williams was the first of three straight point guards who were selected in the draft. Charlotte took Wake Forest's Chris Paul at No. 4, and Charlotte grabbed North Carolina's Raymond Felton at No. 5.

"The other two guys were right there behind [Williams]," O'Connor said. "Chris Paul and Raymond Felton are terrific players, too. So we had to do a lot of homework. We just felt that Deron fit in with that we are trying to do."

Why Williams over Paul, considered by many teams to be the top point guard in the draft?

"Everyone says size," O'Connor said, "but I'm not sure [that was it]. I think he sees the floor as well as anybody we've seen in a long time . . . and he had better quickness than we thought. Just being around him, it felt right."

Noting that Williams was the Big Ten's assist leader for three straight seasons, O'Connor added, "This isn't a one-year guy."

Asked what he liked about Williams, Sloan said, "His knowledge of basketball was impressive, when we talked to him. He has a good understanding of what team basketball is all about."

The Jazz's move up to get Williams actually started a month ago, when they slipped to sixth in the lottery.

In a draft considered to have only four can't-miss prospects - Bogut, Marvin Williams, Paul and Deron Williams - O'Connor started exploring his options.

Fortunately for the Jazz, they had a couple of extra first-round picks from previous trades with Dallas and Detroit. That proved to be critical in Utah's successful attempt to get Williams.

"The ball didn't fall our way in the lottery," O'Connor said. "So we had to dip into our bag and pull out some assets. We did that to get the player we wanted."

Williams learned of the Jazz's trade Tuesday morning and knew their decision would come down to "me or Chris."

Williams didn't take any personal satisfaction over being the first point guard drafted, and he looks forward to playing for Sloan.

"You just want to go as high as possible and go to a good team and a good situation," Williams said. "I felt like this was the best situation for me."

Why?

"I guess they just felt comfortable with me," Williams said. "I feel that I'm a Coach Sloan-type of player - tough defender, pass-first point guard, get people involved. And I think they liked me. I had a good workout with them and a good interview with them. I just think we hit it off."

Williams knows the Jazz's point guard situation is so unsettled that he has a chance to become an immediate contributor.

"I look forward to it," he said. "I know nothing is set in stone. But I'm going to come in with confidence and play hard. I definitely want to make an impact next year."