Deron Williams is returning to the Nets. He announced on Twitter that he has agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets. Williams, the top free agent available, decide to stay with the Nets over signing with the Mavericks, who hoped they could convince him to come back to the area where he grew up. It’s an enormous triumph for the Nets as they get ready to move into the new Barclays Center to start the 2012-13 season.
They have been extremely productive since the start of free agency on July 1. They traded for Joe Johnson and are rumoured to be in talks with the Orlando Magic to bring Dwight Howard to Brooklyn.
Deron’ choice comes a day after the Nets agreed to a deal with Atlanta for All-Star guard Joe Johnson, and among reports, they are still hoping to make a deal with Orlando for Dwight Howard. Brooklyn also has a deal in place to re-sign versatile free agent forward Gerald Wallace.
Williams will be the centrepiece of a decent nucleus in Brooklyn. Joe Johnson will be his backcourt mate, and Gerald Wallace will start off at small forward.
Williams averaged 21 points and 8.7 assists last season and had a 57-point game. One of the league’s major point guards since entering the NBA as the No. 3 pick of the Jazz in 2005, he was ahead of his rivals when last season started after playing in Turkey through the lockout.
The Nets now have three former All-Stars in the lineup – Deron, Joe and Gerald Wallace – and are prepared to match any offer for restricted free agent Lopez. The wildcard is Howard.
Just 2 years after a 70-loss season, the Nets will have one of the NBA’s greatest backcourts and are poised to make a quick move up the Eastern Conference standings. Williams will cause the rest of the dominoes to fall as he was the top guard and overall player in this summer’s free agency class.
Williams didn’t always seem to appreciate playing in New Jersey, with the Nets spending the past two seasons in a temporary home in Newark. But he should really play in front of packed crowds in Brooklyn as the most important attraction at the Barclays Center.
