NBA Editorial: Deron Williams Wants to Join Mavericks

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to buy out point guard Deron Williams so that he can sign with the Dallas Mavericks. The Nets want to dump both Williams and Joe Johnson before the 2015-2016 NBA betting season. Williams was owed $43.3 million over the next two years, and a buyout was the Nets’ preference as opposed to simply releasing the guard. The stretch provision would have allowed the team to spread his cap impact over the next five seasons, but the team has not wanted to do that. “I don’t think it was just, ‘he had to go.’ … I think it was just where we are as an organization,” Nets general manager Billy King said Saturday. “We’re not in the same place we were before, so it was a chance to reshuffle the deck.”

NBA Betting Editorial: Deron Williams Wants to Join the Mavericks

    “The poor response to the spotlight. The fragile psyche. The discomforts of city living. The alienation by teammates. The multiple personalities Williams projected. The issues accumulated, and they all boiled over.” Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News commented about Williams’ inability to fit in Brooklyn. “Williams gets a fresh start in Dallas and that’s what’s best for everybody. A lot of smart basketball people are predicting a rejuvenated season from him, which would only further the notion that he just couldn’t handle New York.” The Brooklyn Nets have tried to trade Williams during the off-season with little to no results. Rumors had been building about a possible deal with Sacramento, but the Kings just inked a one-year deal with Rajon Rondo, making Williams unnecessary. “He was in good spirits about going back to his hometown team,” former teammate Jarrett Jack said. “I thought he might just need a change of scenery, which is cool. In professional sports, our happiness is a thing we don’t get to control a lot, so it seems like he’s happy with the new situation, and I’m definitely happy for him and hope he does well.” The Mavericks are eager to put together a competitive roster after DeAndre Jordan backed out of a verbal agreement with the team. The Mavs may also add , another foundational piece on their 2011 title team. The Mavericks have pursued Williams in the past, but they lost out in a battle with the Nets during the summer of 2012, when Brooklyn signed him to a five-year, $99 million contract. Dallas needs a point guard since the Rondo experiment fizzled, and Williams wants a fresh start in a new city. Williams was reportedly eager to join up with Wesley Matthews, another new Maverick, as they were teammates together in Utah. The Nets have been eager to shed salary as they have paid the luxury tax the past two seasons. Moving Williams is a start, and if the team can also move Joe Johnson, that will increase their flexibility considerably. Sources: NBA.com: http://www.nba.com/nets/ CBSSports.com: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/players/playerpage/1113178/rajon-rondo