Report: Deron Williams seeks release from Nets to sign with Mavericks

In a surprise turn of events, Nets point guard Deron Williams is asking for a release from Brooklyn so he can sign with his hometown Dallas Mavericks.

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The Dallas Mavericks swung and missed big on DeAndre Jordan this summer, but it seems that their luck hasn’t run out just yet. Losing a big man they thought they could build around hurt, but they might end up getting an All-Star guard out of things before everything is said and done.

According to Marc Stein from ESPN.com, the Mavericks and guard Deron Williams have ‘strong mutual interest’ which is prompting the point guard to ask for a release from the Brooklyn Nets.

As covered in the story, there is strong mutual interest between Mavs and Deron Williams to strike deal if Williams and Nets can part ways
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 10, 2015

This all depends on if the Nets cut Williams, which won’t be an easy task as Brooklyn knows that the Mavs want Williams and that he wants to play there — meaning they might try to get something out of the deal. However, simply getting out from under the massive $100 million contract Williams has could be enough for the Nets, who need to find cash to build a future with new pieces.

It’s just not working out with D-Will in Brooklyn, and rumors that the Nets could trade him date back a few years now. He was benched at one point in 2013-14 in favor of Shaun Livingston, who played his way into a starting role with the Nets and then a new contract with the Warriors that summer.

Williams getting benched despite his $100 million contract was proof that the Nets just weren’t feeling it and weren’t willing to keep him around if unless they had to — which they did thanks to the penalty of letting him go. He only has $43 million left on his deal, which makes buyout talks a lot less gruesome then they could have been a few years ago.

In addition to the $43 million left on his contract, Williams has two-years remaining, which will factor into a buyout but is still way less intense then what the Nets would have had to pay Williams a few years back, as they can stretch a deal if he takes a low enough price.

If Williams is willing to take, say, $20 of the $43 million he's owed, Nets could then stretch it to a $4 million hit over the next 5 years.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 10, 2015

The Mavericks have had interest in Williams before, as they thought they were going to sign him a few years ago before the Utah Jazz traded him to the Nets.

There was mutual interest then, and now that his hometown team is in dire need of some changes this summer to offset the DeAndre drama, it appears Deron Williams is going to do all he can to get back home and finally play for Mark Cuban in Dallas.

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