Dallas Mavericks: Deron Williams Plans to Opt Out of Contract
By Kohl Rast
Deron Williams has reportedly elected to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Dallas Mavericks to seek a multi-year deal.
The Dallas Mavericks are officially in the offseason and have as many question marks as ever going into it. With a pretty decanter agent class, a salary cap boost, and a number of players finishing off or opting out of their contracts.
One such player for the Mavs has already announced that he will be opting out of his current contract to become a free agent over the summer. Deron Williams had a player option for the second season on his contract with Dallas and has decided to give up the $5.6 million he would have made in search of a multi-year deal (per Tim MacMahon, ESPN).
This news comes as no surprise to the Mavericks organization who expected to be negotiating with D-Will on coming back once the season ended. However, as we have seen in the past, there is no guarantee that any player in Dallas not named Dirk Nowitzki will keep a spot on the roster.
Other notable players that will be available on the free agent market include guards such as Mike Conley (Memphis), Jordan Clarkson (Lakers), Jeremy Lin (Charlotte), and Rajon Rondo (Not). Truthfully though, the only major upgrade at the position would be Conley, an All-star level talent that seems unlikely to land in Dallas no matter what the circumstance.
For this reason, I think it only makes sense for Dallas to try to land a reasonable deal with Williams and then look to upgrade the center position. Although Deron has had a good season, he is 31 years old and clearly no longer in his prime. For this reason, it is unlikely that we will have to pay big bucks to keep him around. That, along with the fact that Williams has revitalized his career in his hometown, make it a solid chance that we will see him in a Mavericks jersey again next year.
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