Basketball
Deron Williams announces new deal to stay with Nets
AFP
NEW YORK – Deron Williams has announced plans to stay with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and that could help the team obtain star center Dwight Howard, who wants to leave the Orlando Magic.
Williams posted a message on his Twitter account “Made a very tough decision today…” along with a link to the Nets logo, indicating he would remain with the club that has moved across the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York.
The 28-year-old All-Star point guard led the Nets last season with 21 points and 8.8 assists in 55 games. Her turned down overtures from Dallas but made a deal for a reported $98 million over five years to stay with the Nets.
Free agent contracts cannot be announced by NBA clubs until July 11 under league rules, but the Nets have reportedly been busy, also bringing in All-Star guard Joe Johnson in a trade with Atlanta and keeping Gerald Wallace.
The Nets have not reached the NBA playoffs since 2007 but under their new owner, Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov, they have changed colors and logo and moved into a new arena set to open later this year.
A major part of turning the doormats into contenders would be landing Howard from the Magic.
The Nets reportedly have offered three players and three future NBA Draft first-round picks to the Magic for Howard, who has said he wants to leave Orlando and wants to end up with the Nets.
