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Brooklyn Nets are wise to buyout Deron Williams

By Nick Ziegler

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The Brooklyn Nets have made the decision to part ways with the player they hoped would be the face of the franchise in Brooklyn.

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Deron Williams brought a lot of attention to the New Jersey and then Brooklyn Nets, but it wasn’t the type of attention the Nets were hoping for. When the Nets made the trade to acquire Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz, he was one of the best point guards in the NBA, but he is no longer an elite player in the NBA.

The Jazz certainly sold high with the trade of Williams, as they acquired Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and two first-round picks in what looks like an awful trade for the Nets.

The season before Williams was traded to the Nets he averaged 18.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. With the move to Brooklyn upcoming, the Nets made the big splash they thought they needed to bring in a star, but Williams never saw that success in Brooklyn.

To Williams’ defense, he has been battling a lot of injuries in the past few seasons to especially his ankles, but his production has dropped dramatically.

Last season, Williams averaged 13.0 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. The biggest disappointment last season for Williams were his shooting percentages, as he shot 38.7% from the field, and 36.7% from three-point range.

With two seasons remaining on Williams’ contract, the Nets have decided to buy him out of it. According to the New York Post, Williams will be receiving between $25-30 million of the $43 million he had left on the deal. The move to buyout Williams’ contract will save the Nets a lot of money next season, as they will be under the luxury tax threshold. Williams certainly wasn’t a free agent for very long, as he is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Williams is from Texas, and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had interest in a Williams a few years back.

The Mavericks recently went through the hilariously odd situation with DeAndre Jordan, who agreed to sign with them and then backed out of the deal at the last second. Dallas attempted to upgrade at point guard last season by trading for Rajon Rondo, which turned out to be a total disaster of a trade. Williams is an upgrade over what the Mavericks have, but they don’t appear to be getting an impact player.

For the Nets, the decision to get rid of Williams makes sense, as his poor play wasn’t helping the team, and they will also save themselves a lot of money. Williams’ tenure in Brooklyn will certainly be remembered as a big failure. The Nets’ “win now” window has closed, and they will now look to Brook Lopez to lead them into whatever the future holds.

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