The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings have engaged in trade talks involving Nets point guard Deron Williams recently, but no deal has been reached yet.
Yahoo! Sports reported on Saturday that the two teams are in discussions for a multi-player deal that would send Kings guard Darren Collison and forwards Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson to Brooklyn in exchange for Williams.
Sources close to the situation insisted that no deal is close, however. One significant problem for the Nets in the possible deal is the Kings’ desire to have center Mason Plumlee included in the trade. Brooklyn has considered Plumlee a significant part of its core moving forward and is rather unwilling to part with him.
Williams is owed $63.1 million over the next three seasons, so Sacramento must be rather confident about Williams’ play to take on such a large contract. The Kings have made their interest in landing a new point guard a clear priority by inquiring about Williams after failing to land former Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo this week.
I’m not so sure that Williams coming to Sacramento can be viewed as a good move on the Kings’ end. But before we get into why, let’s first examine some of the positives for both teams.
Why The Kings Should Trade For Williams
- Williams has in the past proven himself to be among the elite of NBA point guards, averaging double-digits in assists for four straight seasons beginning in 2007. Although his current numbers this season are below his career averages, Williams is still an incredible facilitator of the offense, a consistent scoring threat, and remains a very pesky defender.
- In Sacramento, Williams would have Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins on the court with him, and would be playing in a smaller market with much less of a spotlight than in New York.
- The Kings, by firing head coach Mike Malone, have indicated that they would like to focus on a high-scoring, fast-paced offense, which suits Williams’ skill set nicely, given his ability to score while still primarily being a pass-first point guard.
- Sacramento would provide familiarity for Williams, as current interim head coach Tyrone Corbin was on the Utah staff during Williams’ entire five full seasons with the Jazz.
Why The Nets Should Deal Williams
- Williams, who will make $19.8 million this season, is due $21 million next season and $22.3 million in 2016-17. He can elect to opt out of his contract for that final year, however. Still, it’s obvious that the Nets are trying to reconfigure their lineup while reducing salaries, and Williams’ contract is their second-largest.
- Williams hasn’t performed to his usual standards the last two seasons in Brooklyn. His current average of 15.6 points per game is only a small improvement from his 14.3 average of last year, which happened to be his lowest since his rookie season in 2005-06. His assists average has dipped to 6.8 per game, again only a slight improvement from his 6.1 average from last season, which was also his lowest since his rookie campaign. Williams, 30 and in his 10th NBA season, is shooting just 37.1 percent from the field since Nov. 12. The Nets are 6-13 during that span, and 11-15 on the year.
- Williams’ ankles have continued to be a hindrance to him. He missed 18 games largely because of injuries last year, and has been slowed by his problematic ankles again this season as he continues to struggle in regaining his all-star form.
- Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson are solid pickups, and Darren Collison would provide the Nets a younger, cheaper alternative to Williams. Collison is currently averaging career highs of 15.6 points per game and 6.1 assists per game on the year in his first season with the Kings, and is currently on the books for $4.8 million per year through 2016-17, saving the Nets nearly $15 million a season while providing similar production.
The Nets Would Benefit More
It is very possible that Williams’ career has peaked, given his drop in production over the last few seasons while still being surrounded by numerous capable scoring options. Whether it is due to his injuries or not, the fact remains that he may not get back to the form he displayed with the Jazz and initial time with the Nets.
Shipping Williams off would provide a substantial amount of salary cap room as the Nets prepare for the next two summers of free agency. The team doesn’t have full control over a first-round draft pick until 2019 due to prior deals, so any significant personnel moves must be done via trades and signings. Since the Nets have no benefit in being a lottery team this coming offseason, they are still very much trying to make the playoffs in a wide open Eastern Conference, and will be aggressive in moving players around that can help them immediately while attempting to make cap room.
The Kings would be losing a young point guard in Collison who seems to be hitting his stride since arriving in Sacramento, taking on a leadership role while being a favorite of his teammates. Although Collison’s current career high numbers are similar to Deron William’s career lows, it simply doesn’t make sense for the Kings to deal away a player who seems to be blossoming in his sixth season and replacing him with a player who is both older and more injury-prone, costs nearly three times more in salary, and has a reputation of being at odds with his coaching staff.
Let’s not forget that Tyrone Corbin is still just an interim coach, with an uncertain future in Sacramento after this season. The Kings have already made it clear that they have an interest in bringing in offensively-minded veteran head coach George Karl, who would certainly have his own opinions on who he’d like running his offense, should he be hired.
A Bad Risk For The Kings
Deron Williams has produced at an all-star level before, and it’s obvious that he probably needs a fresh start. The Nets are definitely wise in dealing him if at least just to make cap space. Replacing him with Collison would be somewhat of a coup for the organization.
For the Kings however, it could very well be a move that hurts the team financially, on the court, and in the locker room. Since the risk greatly outweighs the reward, the team would be wise to stand pat and worry about the development of an up and coming team that will likely have a new coach by next season.
