Deron Williams: Mark Cuban missing free agent meeting helped me choose Nets

Deron Williams said on Monday that Mark Cuban missing their free agent meeting helped him choose the Nets over the Mavericks.

Williams was the top point guard on the market and considered the top free agent available over the summer. He was said to be considering signing with the Mavericks or remaining with the Nets. He ultimately chose to stay with the Nets, and he says now that Cuban missing their meeting and sending Mavericks representatives instead affected his choice.

“I think (Cuban) would have been able to answer a lot of the questions me and my agent have for him that really didn’t get answered that day pertaining to the future,” Williams said according to the New York Daily News. “And I think if he was there he would have been able to answer those questions a little bit better. It maybe would have helped me.

“(I wanted to hear about) the direction of the future of the team, other than Dirk — players they were thinking about. Everything was basically just about their track record, trust their track record, which is, you know, I can honor that, because they do have a good track record, but it’s not enough for me, especially when (Nets GM) Billy (King) was updating me daily.”

Williams also compared the situation to when he was coming out of high school and considering his college options. He says he dropped Maryland as one of his finalists because coach Gary Williams was not going to be there for his visit.

Cuban was filming the TV show “Shark Tank” in Los Angeles at the time and couldn’t make the meeting.

“Obviously, I had a conflict, but I was texting him. I was texting him. We were going back and forth quite a bit,” he said at the time.

Could Cuban have made a difference had he attended the meeting?

“Maybe,” he responded. “You know, because I always think I can close the sale.”

Cuban has indicated since then that he’s happy with the team despite failing to sign Williams and trade for Dwight Howard. The Nets have built up their roster around Williams. Maybe things worked out well for all parties.