Brooklyn bound: Williams inks five-year deal with Nets
Deron Williams made his decision to stay with the Brooklyn Nets official at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, signing a five-year contract with the franchise on general manager Billy King's iPad and tweeting a photo of the proceedings.
"I am really excited to be able to officially say that Brooklyn is home," Williams said.
Williams has been sitting out five-on-five scrimmages with Team USA during preparations for the London Olympic games until the deal was officially signed.
"We are obviously thrilled that Deron will lead the Nets into our new home in Brooklyn," King said in a team-issued release. "Deron is, in my opinion, the top point guard in the NBA."
Williams' decision to stay with the Nets was left the Dallas Mavericks looking for alternatives. The Nets were able to offer a longer, richer deal -- five years, worth between $98 million and $100 million.
Williams, who turned 28 the week before free agency began and spent his birthday at a small gathering at a restaurant in a party that included Nets coach Avery Johnson, is a Texas native. But the Mavericks, per the collective bargaining agreement, faced limitations in the parameters of allowable contract offers with a maximum of four years, $75 million.
The Nets remained in the headlines after Williams' decision last week, re-signing forward Gerald Wallace and trading for Joe Johnson while also trying to work out a deal that would bring Orlando center Dwight Howard to Brooklyn.
If obtaining Howard proves fruitless, the Nets are poised to re-sign restricted free agent center Brook Lopez and free agent forward Kris Humphries.
Williams has said he's enjoyed living in New York with his family and liked the marketing opportunities available there as the Nets move from Newark to a new arena in Brooklyn.
Williams was traded from the Utah Jazz to the Nets on Feb. 23, 2011. He averaged 15.0 points and 12.8 assists in 12 games with the Nets in 2010-2011, then averaged 21.0 points and 8.7 assists in 55 games for the Nets this past season. He's been an All-Star each of the past three seasons.
