Report: Deron Williams to sign with Mavericks after taking Nets buyout

Former All-Star point guard Deron Williams moved a step closer toward joining the Dallas Mavericks when he accepted a buyout from the Brooklyn Nets on Friday that will pay him $27.5 million, according to ESPN.com.

That opened the door for Williams to hit the free-agent market, where he is expected soon to accept a two-year, $10 million contract with the Mavericks.

Williams was owed $43.3 million in the final two years of his contract but settled for much less. In light of Williams’ low production and occasional sullen attitude — and the Nets’ attempt to get under the NBA’s luxury tax threshold — the arrangement gives Williams and the Nets a fresh start.

The Mavericks, who are trying to regroup after free-agent center DeAndre Jordan backed out Wednesday on a deal to come to Dallas, need capable players if they plan to make a playoff push in the Western Conference.

Williams, 31, played at The Colony High School north of Dallas. That’s why many were so shocked in 2012 when he turned down the Mavericks’ offer of $75 million over four years and signed with the Nets for $95 million over five.

The Mavericks could use a top-tier point guard to help steer them through the latter stages of Dirk Nowitzki’s career. But multiple ankle injuries may have stripped Williams of the explosiveness he had when he was a three-time All-Star from 2010-12.

Paul Pierce, a teammate of Williams’ during the 2013-14 season, told ESPN.com in April that he questioned Williams’ leadership abilities.

“Before I got there I looked at Deron as an MVP candidate,” Pierce said. “But I felt once we got there, that’s not what he wanted to be. He just didn’t want that.

“I think a lot of the pressure got to him sometimes. This was his first time in the national spotlight. The media in Utah is not the same as the media in New York, so that can wear on some people. I think it really affected him.”

Williams averaged 13 points and 6.6 assists per game, and shot a career-low 38.7 percent from the field last season. He also missed 14 games because of injuries.

“Maybe arguing was the last straw, so there I am, guilty of that,” Williams said at that time. “But I think anybody who believes I could force coach Sloan to resign is crazy.

“He’s stronger than that and personally if I said that to him, he’d probably go tell me to go do something.”

In 2010-11, Williams averaged a career-best 21.3 points and 9.7 assists with the Jazz. The next season with the Nets, he averaged 21 points and 8.7 assists. But then his production began to decline.

Williams underwent off-season surgery last summer on both of his ankles and suffered a strained right calf this past season.

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Report: Deron Williams to sign with Mavericks after taking Nets buyout."