Pros and cons: Should the Nets waive Deron Williams?

Rumors have surfaced that the Brooklyn Nets might waive point guard Deron Williams. But should they?

The Deron Williams era with the Nets may be coming to an end.

In the days after the Brooklyn Nets were eliminated from the playoffs, rumors have surfaced that the team may attempt to part ways with their highly-paid point guard. Multiple sources told ESPN that while the team will explore trades, a buyout is the most likely route for the Nets to take.

If that’s the case, it’s an unglamorous end for the former All-Star, who was the Nets’ big acquisition in 2011 that was supposed to be the superstar who took them to the next level. The Nets have made the playoffs a few times with Williams, but they’ve never even sniffed a championship, and have been left watching as Williams’ skills deteriorate while his salary increases.

It’s true that Williams’ skill has deteriorated, and he’s not nearly worth his salary anymore. But does that mean the Nets should waive him? Let’s explore the pros and cons of such a move.

The Argument for Keeping Williams

The argument for keeping Williams around is a simple one: Spending $9 million to make a player go away simply isn’t s good use of money. The Nets have to pay Williams next year one way or the other, so they had might as well get something out of it.

It’s not as though Williams is a bad player; he’s just not a player who’s worth $20-plus million a year. He’s a serviceable starting point guard, and as the Nets have proven multiple times, you can make the playoffs with Williams as your point guard. He’s not the All-Star he once was, but he’s a good starting point guard, and paying $9 million a year for a good starting point guard to play somewhere else just isn’t the best way to manage a basketball team.

Besides, it’s not as though the Nets can rebuild; the next time they have their own first round pick is 2019. With that being the case, they should attempt to compete, and keeping Williams around will help, not hurt, that cause. It’s faint praise, but the ink on the contract is already dry, and the Nets have to pay one way or another. They might as well get something out of their investment.

The Argument for Waiving Williams

The strongest argument for waiving Williams is that using the stretch provision would considerably improve the Nets’ wretched cap situation, while ridding them of a player who just isn’t worth the money anymore. Williams is set to make $21 million next season and $22.3 million in 2016-17 (if he picks up his player option, which he will almost certainly do, as would most people with brains). But if the Nets use the stretch provision, that cap hit would decrease to $9 million, leaving them actual cap room to improve the team, which at the moment is a luxury they simply don’t have.

This argument wouldn’t hold much water if it weren’t for the fact that Williams just isn’t very good anymore. Just take a look at these stats:

Williams, 2010-11: 20.1 PPG, 10.3 AST, 44% FG, 21.1 PER
Williams, 2014-15: 13.0 PPG, 6.6 AST, 39 % FG, 15.7 PER

That first set of numbers is the guy the Nets paid for; the second set is the one they have now. Williams’ 15.7 PER is just north of league average, which is fine if he’s making, say, $6 million a year, but when he’s one of the highest paid players in the league, it becomes a problem.

The decline has been coming on for a while now. The 30-year-old Williams has become below average when driving to the hoop, and his clutch shooting is among the worst in the league.

The answer might be different if we were talking about another team, but in the Nets’ unique situation, it becomes clear that they need to dump Williams. The Nets pay Williams and Joe Johnson more than $20 million apiece to be pretty good players, they don’t have their own first-round pick until 2019(!). If it weren’t for that second fact, the Nets could start rebuilding, but since that’s not an option, their best way forward is to try to field a competitive team, and that’s something they just can’t afford to do with Williams taking up so much cap space. Sad as it is for a former star, the time has come for the Nets to cut ties with Williams.

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