Deron Williams is well aware the Brooklyn Nets are not happy with him and apparently the feeling is mutual. The Nets have been aiming to trade the point guard for most of the season thanks to his contract that still has two years and $43.3 million on it, but there are no buyers for Williams who has struggled with disappointing numbers and injuries for the past two seasons. Now, Williams is trying to make a move to get out of Brooklyn on his own.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Williams has requested a release from the Nets in order to sign with the Dallas Mavericks. Williams is negotiating a contract buyout which is likely what Brooklyn prefers over simply releasing him. Stein writes that the Nets do not want to use their stretch provision which would allow them to pay Williams his remaining salary over the span of five years, so a buyout is the best move to make both parties happy.
A trade is what Brooklyn really wants, but there is no interest. Williams simply has too much money owed to him and the stats do not match up. A few teams have pondered the idea. The Sacramento Kings were reportedly interested, but they just signed Rajon Rondo. The Lakers also eyed a deal, but they just drafted D'Angelo Russell. Williams is not leaving Brooklyn unless the contract buyout happens.
The Mavericks do need a point guard so the idea that Williams could sign with Dallas is not out of the question. They let Rondo walk away in free agency and missed out on getting Jeremy Lin. That leaves the team without an elite point guard and while Williams no longer fits that description, he is the best available option moving forward. The Mavericks have just been burned by DeAndre Jordan and reportedly are motivated to sign Williams as a marquee player.
Dallas could easily try and trade for a big name. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, they could eye deals for Ty Lawson, Eric Bledsoe or even Brandon Jennings to fill the hole left by Rondo. However, the Mavericks likely do not want to sacrifice any of their needed depth at this point. Instead, they could get Williams on a one-year deal and worry about chasing a better player next offseason. The expectations for Dallas have lowered in the past 24 hours and the team will likely need to focuso n 2016 free agency to help rebuild the team.