NBA Rumors: Deron Williams Will Make Nets Regret Not Trading Him at Deadline

Deron Williams doesn't sound like a player who's planning to remain a member of the New Jersey Nets beyond this season. The team will regret not getting something for him before the trade deadline should he walk away for nothing during the offseason, which seems increasingly likely.

Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports passed along some thoughts from Williams, who isn't interested in talk about loyalty. Actually, he sounds like somebody with one foot out the door already:

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"People get traded all the time," Williams told Yahoo! Sports. "They don’t get backlash as an organization. If [players] leave, we are not loyal, we are ungrateful. People say stuff to me on Twitter. They already think I’m gone. They are out there bashing me, saying to me I’m a traitor.

"I didn’t ask to be here. I got traded. I didn’t come here being a free agent. This is the first time that I’m a free agent in my career."

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Those statements have to leave general manager Billy King on the edge of his seat. The Nets were hoping to build around the talented point guard following their move into the Barclays Center, but it's pretty apparent that that isn't atop his to-do list.

The fact that he puts so much stock into things people say on Twitter prove his mind has already moved on. Fans on the social media website will say anything to get noticed, but he's apparently looking for a scapegoat ahead of his potential exit.

He went on to say in the article that trading for Dwight Howard would have helped, but that obviously has come and gone now that Howard has agreed to stay in Orlando for another season.

The Magic's gamble paid off. It's looking like the Nets won't be nearly as lucky with their superstar, which would be a rough way to start their new era in Brooklyn. Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace are solid players, but they aren't franchise cornerstones like Williams.

They had a chance to trade him before the deadline. Talks never got far enough to determine what type of pieces he could have brought in in exchange, but any young talent to help the rebuilding process would have been far better than getting nothing at all.

Instead, the Nets have to spend the next handful of months convincing Williams that they will be able to build a championship contender around him. He wants to win above all else. With the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls lurking in the East, that's going to be a tough sell.

It's another learning experience for teams around the league. If they aren't able to secure a commitment from a player before the deadline, it's always better to take the best available offer than risk getting burned and set the franchise back a couple more years.

Unless Williams has a quick change of heart, the Nets will learn that lesson the hard way this summer.