NBA free agency begins July 1 at midnight and Brooklyn Nets star guard Deron Williams will be choosing from a two-team list that only features the Nets and the Dallas Mavericks, according to sources close to the situation.
Sources told ESPN.com on Saturday night that while this summer’s No. 1 free agent remains “up in the air” about which team he’ll ultimately chose, Williams already has made the decision to narrow his list of potential destinations to those two franchises.
Other teams, including the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets, had been hoping to land Williams once free agency begins, sources said. The Los Angeles Lakers have continued to express interest in a sign-and-trade package built around Pau Gasol for Williams, sources say, despite the Nets have no interest in Gasol and would only consider such a move if they were getting back All-Star center Andrew Bynum, whom the Lakers have not made available.
Sources say Williams, in any case, already has instructed his representatives to advise any team that calls starting at 12:01 a.m. July 1 that he intends to either re-sign with the Nets or return to his hometown with the Mavericks after a glittering high school career in the Dallas area.
The Nets have expressed confidence all season in their ability to retain Williams, pointing to the team’s forthcoming move to Brooklyn, increased off-court marketing opportunities for Williams with a team bound for New York and the fact that Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov can offer a contract one-year longer than Dallas and with more money (up to $100 million).
“I want to go to a place where I feel like they will have a chance to build and build fast,” Williams told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m not really in the mood for being part of a rebuilding process. I’m getting older. I’m about to be 28. I want to win. I want to win now. Also, I want to live in a place where I want to live and my kids will enjoy living. That’s pretty much it.”
With that being said, you may ask “Where will he end up?” I think D-Will will end up being in a Mavericks uniform next season. The rumors to Dallas have just grown to be strong to just simply ignore. His former hometown would end up being a new beginning for him and the franchise who seems to lack a star point guard with Jason Kidd on the verge of retirement. It is time to have another face of the franchise at point gaurd and Deron is the perfect fit. It is to my knowledge that the Brooklyn Nets have the best package to offer Williams and more money, but I think that Deron wants to win and he may not feel that the Nets are in any position to win.
The other teams that have been linked to Deron are all possibilities as well, but I only see him choosing like he said himself between the Nets and the Mavericks. It would be nice if Orlando could make some kind of offer for Deron and land him because that would be a perfect 1-2 punch for Orlando with Dwight Howard who is in need of a point guard who can give him the ball in the post and who can also score the ball.
We will see on July 1, 2012 when the 2012 free agency begins and see where not only Deron but where all of the other free agents end up. We can also been on the lookout for trades and other coach changes as we approach the 2012 NBA Draft which is on June 28.
Original Story:
http://www.footbasket.com/2012/06/25/...
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June 24, 2012
