Breaking Down Why Deron Williams Will Re-Sign with the Brooklyn Nets

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Deron Williams, the prize of the free agent class of 2012, has already narrowed his selection to two options:  resigning with the Brooklyn Nets or going back to his hometown and signing with the Dallas Mavericks.

If you believe an interview Williams did earlier this month with the Los Angeles Times, the choice comes down to winning championships and familial happiness.  

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"I want to go to a place where I feel like they will have a chance to build and build fast," Williams said.  "I'm not really in the mood for being part of a rebuilding process. I'm getting older. I'm about to be 28. I want to win. I want to win now. Also, I want to live in a place where I want to live and my kids will enjoy living. That's pretty much it."

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Before Nets fans even had a chance to start icing the champagne, they read past the headline of Stein's story and their blood ran cold:

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While Williams is already settled in the New York area and known to have enjoyed his time living there, sources say he already has done some preliminary househunting in Dallas this month in the event that he chooses to return to the Western Conference.

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Don't worry though Brooklynites, D-Will is coming back and here are a few reasons why:

1.  A little thing called an extra 16 million guaranteed dollars.    

Under the terms of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, the maximum the Mavericks can offer Williams is a four-year, $75 million contract.  The Nets can offer an additional fifth year to make the deal reach nearly $100 million.  

In the headlines, Williams would sign a contract worth nearly $25 million, but the actual extra value of Brooklyn's offer Williams' fifth year is around $16 million after factoring in Williams paying New York's 8.97 percent state income tax. (Texas does not have a state income tax.)

Still, if you're happy in a place that can offer you $16 million more than another place, why leave?

2.  Dwight Howard is coming to Brooklyn, whether it's this season or next.  

With Rockets general manager Daryl Morey gathering assets to make Orlando a "Godfather" offer for Howard, the center's panicked opt-in at the deadline may wind up delaying the inevitable Howard-Williams pairing for a year, but it's happening.

Howard has been privately pushing for a trade to Brooklyn for what feels like an eternity, and a post-trade Rockets roster won't be good enough to erase the allure of teaming with another superstar.  

If Williams is patient and Nets management doesn't start making panic signings, Howard will be wearing the Jay-Z designed uniforms soon enough.  

3.  This version of the Mavericks isn't a championship contender.  

Though Skip Bayless eviscerator Mark Cuban would disagree, the Mavericks threw away their title defense in hopes of creating a Williams-Dirk-Dwight three-headed monster.  

I'm speculating, but I bet Cuban assumed (correctly) that Williams' decision would come down staying with the Nets and coming back home to Dallas.  

But Howard's opt-in threw a monkey wrench into the master scheme.  Nowitzki will be 35 years old by the time Dallas' dream trio could happen and he showed a marked decline this past season after showing up out of shape.  

If you're Deron Williams, is playing with an aged Dirk Nowitzki truly a better option than Gerald Wallace and whatever you can get in a Brook Lopez sign-and-trade?  I think at this point, the answer is an emphatic no.  

4.  The Brooklyn Nets could be his franchise.

Even though Brooklyn kept the Nets nickname (which is inexplicable, considering it's one of the worst in sports) and won't be recognized as a "new" franchise for NBA purposes, the team's move to New York is inarguably a new start.  

The move is accompanied with a new logo, new uniforms and billion dollar arena with a "40/40" mentality.  Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z have no intentions of playing second fiddle to the Knicks in New York City, and being part of that excitement adds immeasurable worth to the Nets case.  

Players on Brooklyn's roster opening night at the Barclays Center will be a part of history.  And because of all the factors listed, Williams will be the face of a new beginning for the Nets franchise.