Brooklyn Nets: How Much Longer Does Deron Williams Stay?
Brooklyn Nets’ guard Deron Williams has seen his play scrutinized for much of the last two seasons and recently expressed to Resident Magazine that “I don’t feel so much like a New Yorker.”
Williams spoke with the New York lifestyle magazine on Sept. 1. In the article, the 30-year-old tells Rory Winston that “Truth is, we [Williams’ family] enjoy getting away from the hustle and bustle and going back to Utah every summer.” Williams also spoke about issues with his children enrolling in school and traffic as things he wouldn’t normally experience back in Utah.
Live Feed
Pelican Debrief
While his words aren’t much of a surprise, they certainly echo the sentiments of a player desiring a change of scenery. Whether or not that’s true, Williams is more than likely going to be a Brooklyn Net for the remaining three years on his contract. The oft-injured guard hasn’t been the same since being traded to New Jersey in February 2011.
Williams has roughly $64 million owed to him over the next three seasons, with an early-termination option in the final year. When Williams is able to exercise that option he would be 32. Unless he averages close to 18 points with eight assists over the next two seasons, he will be hard-pressed to secure a contract with a salary upwards of $12 million per season at that age.
No matter how poorly the Nets play, Williams would have to be dumbfounded not to stay the course.
Brooklyn and general manager Billy King have very limited options of dealing with the situation at point guard. King has no amnesty option, a limited amount of draft picks and nothing in the way of prospects – no one is touching Mason Plumlee. The best-case scenario for Brooklyn is that Williams performs reliably and pushes this team to the playoffs alongside a healthy Brook Lopez.
Williams, who has dealt with ankle issues since 2012, could potentially see more rest this season with the arrivals of Jarrett Jack and Markel Brown. Williams’ minutes dipped from 36 per game in 2012-13 to 32 last season. I would expect around the same minute allotment for the three-time All-Star this season.
Another factor in Williams’ continued decline or sudden resurgence will be how he adjusts to his fourth coach in three seasons. Since coming to the Nets in February 2011, he has played for Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo, Jason Kidd and now Lionel Hollins.
While in Memphis, Hollins ran his offense through his big men, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. In Brooklyn, Hollins will have youngster Mason Plumlee and one-time All-Star Brook Lopez.
Hollins’ style may not suite Williams, which combined with less playing time, could lead to a more disgruntled player. Brooklyn has a ton of guards on the roster and there is no foreseeable way to trade Williams unless they’re able to swap ridiculous contracts with another team, like that of Amar’e Stoudemire‘s expiring contract.
Nets’ fans shouldn’t lose hope. The team still has enough talent to compete on a nightly basis and a cast of talented up and comers. With a coach like Hollins at the helm, Brooklyn could very well be a playoff team before New York.