The Nets have set up shop in Brooklyn, but the question still remains whether or not the current face of the franchise will join them. Deron Williams will be hottest commodity on the free-agent market this summer now that Dwight Howard has ostensibly taken himself off it. Williams hasn’t committed to Nets, leading basketball observers to question whether he will even give them a chance to keep him. But Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News has the latest:
From everything I’ve been hearing, Deron Williams is leaning toward re-signing with the Nets. There’s still a lot that can happen, though.
— Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) May 1, 2012
There’s still the playoffs, draft lottery, draft and the decisions of other free agents.
— Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) May 1, 2012
Indeed, the movement by other players in free agency is important. Kris Humphries (unrestricted) and Brook Lopez (restricted) are both free agents while Gerald Wallace has a player option. Given that those three are arguably the Nets’ best players after Williams, their possible departures could play a part in Williams’ decision. Would Williams want to commit himself to a team in flux? (Frankly, even if all three stick around, that still probably isn’t enticing enough of a supporting cast for D-Will to remain a Net.)
Williams said he’d stay with the Nets if they were able to add Howard. But that’s obviously off the table (for now — you just never know with the three-ring circus that is Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic).
Also in the picture are the Mavericks, who Williams, a Dallas-area native, has expressed some interest in joining. The Mavericks have put themselves in position to shed the cap space needed to land Williams and another premier free agent this offseason. Williams, Dirk Nowitzki and another big-name free agent? Certainly sounds like an attractive situation for D-Will. If Williams doesn’t remain with the Nets, the odds-on favorite to land him has to be Dallas.
But as Bondy alludes to, a lot can happen in the NBA free agency soap opera. Chris Broussard will probably have Williams on half a dozen teams before he actually signs. So, stay tuned.
H/T I am a GM
Photo credit: Jim O’Connor-US PRESSWIRE
