Deron Williams has found himself in the headlines recently and not in a good way. The point guard has been given a lot of the blame for the postseason downfall of the Brooklyn Nets and his future has been put into question thanks to two ailing ankles. The Nets have been rumored to be seeking a deal for the star, but one might be hard to come by now.
The Nets announced Thursday that Williams would indeed undergo surgeries on both ankles this offseason. Both are regarded as minor procedures, but it is surgery nonetheless. According to team doctor Martin O'Malley, Williams will have bone chips removed as well as undergo arthroscopic clean out to take out other bone spurs. This only adds to Williams' ankle issues. Over the past two seasons, the point guard has struggled heavily with problems. He has received cortisone shots, platelet-rich plasma injections and other surgeries to try and fix the issues and nothing is working.
After the loss to the Miami Heat, Williams admitted that he was frustrated with himseld and his recent health issues. He went from averaging 14.3 points and 6.1 assists on 45 percent shooting in the regular season to putting up just 14.4 points on 39.5 percent shooting in the postseason.
"I feel like I've kind of let people down, so I don't like feeling like that," Williams said, via ESPN.com. "I take my job seriously, I work hard in the offseason, I work hard every day. It's just real frustrating not to be able to play how I'm capable of playing. I used to step on the court and feel like I was the best player no matter who I played against, so I gotta get back to that. Even if I'm not the best player on the court, I gotta feel like I am."
ESPN's Marc Stein reported that a trade of Williams could be in the point guard's near future. While Williams has not requested a trade nor has the Nets said they shopping him, but it could be the best move to make this offseason for a team with limited cap space and no draft picks. However, Williams is turning 30 in June and will be coming off two surgeries and owed $63.1 million over the next three years. Almost no team will take that on.
The Los Angeles Lakers were considered an option as the team works to move past Steve Nash. The Houston Rockets offered Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik for the point guard, but that deal was never finalized and might not be offered again.
It also does not help that backup point guard Shaun Livingston is headed for free agency and looking to cash in after filling in for Williams and playing well. After playing a career-high 76 games and completing his comeback, plenty of teams will target him with a contract. Re-signing him will be tough which could mean Williams is going nowhere.
