Deron Williams admitted that his decision to re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets, rather than play for the Dallas Mavericks, was “very tough.” Obviously, the stakes of his decision were very high. So, why did he choose the Nets? Here is a list of the reasons that Williams, Jason Kidd, and sports writers have provided:
The Joe Johnson trade.
“Honestly, it came down to the roster. Brooklyn made moves that improved the roster dramatically.”
[ ~Jason Kidd ]
“Joe I think got me over the hump [to choose the Nets]. I’ve never played with anybody like him. A guy on the wing who can get his own shot, get me involved, is a great defender. I think we can be one of the top backcourts in the NBA for sure.”
[ ~Deron Williams ]
The Dallas Mavericks are old, not that good.
“I felt that team (the Nets) for a longer time would be the better team.”
[ ~Deron Williams ]
The Dwight Howard rumors.
Deron Williams must have at least considered the fact that he could be paired with Dwight Howard in Brooklyn while he could not in Dallas.
The Gerald Wallace trade.
“[Billy King] got crushed for giving up the sixth pick in the draft for [Gerald] Wallace, but he did that for Deron, to show him that good things start to happen when you have NBA players around you. If Billy starts the offseason with the No. 6 pick and with the hope of re-signing Brook, Deron might’ve ended up in Dallas.”
[~Ian O’Connor ]
Excitement to play in Brooklyn.
“I’m excited. I felt like the buzz in Brooklyn is big. The arena’s going to be amazing.”
[ ~Deron Williams ]
The presence of Brook Lopez.
“Brook Lopez has been hurt, been on bad teams and is undervalued.”
[ ~Deron Williams ]
In sum, GM Billy King deserves a lot of credit for making a lot of smart moves that instantly make the Nets better. The Joe Johnson trade was perfectly timed. The Gerald Wallace trade increased the likelihood that Williams would re-sign. At the same time, the Nets were, and continue to be, big players in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes. Excitement to play in Brooklyn seems to have been of secondary importance to Deron Williams in making his decision. It all came down to the player transactions that the Nets made and the Mavs did not make.