INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Fever acquired three-time WNBA All-Star forward Natalie Williams in a four-player trade with the San Antonio Silver Stars on Thursday.

		Thur., May 1 Indiana is a very good team, but it just got better: With Natalie Williams on board, the Fever are a legitimate contender for the Eastern Conference title. The 6-foot-2 forward is one of the top players in the world, and came into camp injury-free and in great shape. Williams, an All-American, Olympian and All-Star, has tremendous experience and has improved her game on both sides of the block. She is a big, strong lefty who can knock down her shots and run the floor, and there aren't many players who are better offensive rebounders. Williams will help offset the loss of Olympia Scott-Richardson, who played the best basketball of her career last season. And despite losing Scott-Richardson to injury, Indiana will probably be even tougher in the paint this season as Williams is a proven superstar who typically is good for a double-double every night. Although Indiana had to give up Sylvia Crawley, a very good, smart player, and promising yet unproven rookie Gwen Jackson, the Fever got another gem in Coretta Brown. The North Carolina guard went surprisingly low in the college draft (No. 11), but she's an explosive 1-2 who can shoot the 3-pointer and penetrate. Indiana coach Nell Fortner or Kelly Krauskopf, the team's chief operating officer, could not have gotten anybody better than Williams from the dispersal or college drafts. As far as trades go, this one's a grand slam. It's one of the top deals in WNBA history, and gives Indiana three U.S. national team members in Williams, Tamika Catchings and Nikki McCray.

The Fever also acquired rookie guard Coretta Brown and sent forward Sylvia Crawley and rookie forward Gwen Jackson to San Antonio.

The 6-foot-2 Williams, a member of the U.S. gold-medal teams coached by the Fever's Nell Fortner in the 1998 World Championships and 2000 Olympics, averaged 11.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in 31 games last season with the Utah Starzz, who relocated to San Antonio.

Williams played three seasons in the now-defunct ABL and was selected by Utah with the third overall pick in the 1999 WNBA draft. With 3,604 points, Williams is the second-leading scorer in U.S. women's professional basketball history, combining 1,837 points in the WNBA (which ranks sixth) and 1,777 points in three ABL seasons from 1997 to 1999.

Williams, daughter of Nate Williams, who played eight seasons in the NBA, also ranks sixth on the WNBA all-time list with 1,156 rebounds.

"We're ecstatic to have Natalie Williams join our team because she's one of the best post players in the game today," Fever Chief Operating Officer Kelly Krauskopf said. "She's going to help our team, and help our franchise grow as a contender in the Eastern Conference. She comes with great credentials. Her career speaks for itself."

The 6-5 Crawley started 93 of 95 games over the last three seasons for the Portland Fire before being selected by Indiana with the seventh pick in the 2003 dispersal draft. She averaged 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in 32 games with Portland last season.

The 6-2 Jackson was selected by Indiana with the sixth pick in the 2003 draft after averaging 11 points and 5.7 rebounds in four seasons at Tennessee. She scored 15 points in a 73-68 loss to Connecticut in the national championship game.

The 5-9 Brown was selected by San Antonio with the 11th pick. She averaged 14.5 points per game for North Carolina and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference first team. She holds the school record with 38 percent on career 3-pointers.

Last season with Utah, Williams guided the Starzz to the Western Conference Finals while averaging 14.0 points and 9.2 rebounds during the playoffs. In a first-round upset of the Houston Comets, she averaged 16.3 points and 10.3 boards.

Williams was Utah's leading scorer and rebounder, and a WNBA first-team all-league selection, in each of her first three WNBA seasons. She is the just the second three-time WNBA All-Star ever to be traded. Nikki McCray, the other, is now one of Williams' teammates in Indiana. The two players, as well as the Fever's Tamika Catchings, are each members of the U.S. national team, which is coached by Indiana's Nell Fortner.

"I'm excited to be coaching Natalie again," Fortner said. "I'm fully aware of what she can do, and what she brings to this team is exactly what we needed -- a dominant low-block player who is an outstanding rebounder. She is a great rebounder on both ends of the floor."