NBA Free Agents 2012: Why Deron Williams Would Be Insane to Pick Nets over Mavs

According to ESPN.com Deron Williams has narrowed down his choices to the Brooklyn Nets and the Dallas Mavericks. 

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Sources told ESPN.com on Saturday night that, while this summer's No. 1 free agent remains "up in the air" about which team he'll ultimately chose, Williams already has made the decision to narrow his list of potential destinations to those two franchises.

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In other words, congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on landing the best player available in this year's draft. 

So what makes me so confident that Williams is going to choose Dallas over Brooklyn? Because he'd be insane not to, and the last time I checked he was still sane.

First off, the Nets are moving into a new stadium in a new location, but that's not going to magically make them a better team. 

They are still a bad team, even if Williams comes back. Sure they get Brook Lopez back but we're talking about Brook Lopez here, not an All-Star. He's in the "pretty good" category and that's about the best he will be. 

Look, there's a reason Williams is house hunting in Dallas. He's daydreaming about living there and playing there. Williams has never played with a Hall of Fame player in his career and you best believe that he wants to. Right now, he'd settle for an All-Star.

While Chris Paul got to play with Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook played with Kevin Durant, and Rajon Rondo played with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce,

Williams got to play with Kris Humphries. Even Derrick Rose got to play with Willams' former partner who he went to the Western Conference Finals with, Carlos Boozer and All-Star Luol Deng. 

Because he had no one, Williams fell out of the "best point guard in the league" conversation—one which he very much belongs in. 

Could Williams make more money in Brooklyn? Sure he could, but not as much as the $25 million you've been led to believe.

Yes, he could sign a five-year contract worth $100 million in Brooklyn compared to just a four-year, $75 million contract in Dallas, but that's a five-year contract compared to a four-year contract. 

It's actually more like the difference of $75 in four years versus $80 million in four years, so it's a $5 million difference. It's not like in four years from now he's not going to be able to get a contract.

There is a possibility he could get hurt and not make that money, but it's likely he'll be getting paid good money five years from now. 

To date Williams has already made about $60 million in his career. Four years from now it will be $135 million or $140 million. Do you think that $5 million is going to be what makes his decision? What's he going to think? I can buy the bread with $135 million but I need another $5 million for the jam?

He's going to be looking at the next four years as his legacy years and rebuilding with a team with one promising young player in MarShon Brooks, another in Brook Lopez (who spent most of last year injured) and most of their draft picks traded away hardly spells "rebuilding." 

The Mavericks are a better team already. They have a Hall of Fame player who already won a ring and has a few years left in the tank. They also have a better chance to add youth this year because they, unlike the Nets, have a first-round draft pick. 

The Nets though do promise to lose their next best player in Gerald Wallace, who the Nets foolishly traded away this year's top pick for. 

So, Brooklyn has $5 million and a brand new stadium while Dallas has a Hall of Famer, on a better team, with a brighter future and an almost brand new stadium. You'd have to be insane to pick Brooklyn, and Williams is sane.