The biggest prize of the 2012 NBA free agent class is off the market. Deron Williams tweeted on Tuesday his intentions to re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski later followed up Williams’ announcement to point out that the All-Star guard would be signing a five-year, $100 million deal with the team , apparently choosing the relocating franchise over a Dallas Mavericks team that both won the 2011 NBA championship, and plays near in Williams’ home town.
Apparently the extra year and extra $25 million the Nets were able to pay Williams — numbers ramped up in the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to encourage players to stay with incumbent teams — was enough to sway the soon to be eight-year vet. The only question now is whether or not the Nets have now signed themselves out of the running for the player they once thought was going to be the prize of the 2012 free agent class, before he panicked and signed into a player option for 2012-13: Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.
Howard made it clear as late as Sunday to Wojnarowski that he would only be re-signing in 2013 with one team, clearly the Nets squad he has long coveted a trade to, threatening to even play out the 2012-13 season with Orlando to sign with a Brooklyn team that could offer a major endorsement kicker in his deal with his preferred shoe company. Williams’ massive deal, and the agreed-upon trade that would send Joe Johnson to Brooklyn, appear to have signed the Nets right out of the Howard sweepstakes.
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