Deron Williams: Joe Johnson Trade Kept Him With Nets


Deron Williams says he was close to signing with his hometown Mavs but was so impressed by the Nets’ trade for Joe Johnson, he decided to re-sign with Brooklyn. From the NY Post: “Deron Williams said he was a lot closer to becoming a Maverick than anyone thought. And he would have taken Jason Kidd with him. The Nets and Knicks are lucky to have the point guards performing in the five boroughs. Thank you, Joe Johnson. In a startling revelation, Williams said after the U.S. Olympic Team’s first day of training camp the Mavericks were his choice until Nets general manager Billy King pulled off the Joe Johnson heist in the opening days of free agency. ‘I was really close to going to Dallas,’ Williams said Friday in his first remarks since agreeing to terms with Brooklyn on Tuesday. ‘I actually thought that’s where I was going to go. Then I had the meetings [with Dallas and Nets] and changed my mind. After I got out of the meeting with Dallas, saw the team they were going to have and putting out there and we just made the trade for Joe Johnson, I felt that team [the Nets] for a longer time would be the better team.’ ‘I still flip-flopped a couple of times,’ Williams added. So without the Johnson trade, Williams and Kidd likely were headed to Big D and King would have been the Big Dunce of Brooklyn. Instead, he’s looking like a genius, especially if Dwight Howard is added as the Nets’ final piece. ‘Joey, I never played with anyone like him,’ Williams gushed. ‘A guy on the wing that can get his own shot, but also get me involved and is a great defender. We can be one of the top backcourts in the NBA.'”