Dallas Mavericks: Day 2 Free Agency Wrap-Up, Latest on D-Will and Dwight

I've been up since 7 a.m. PT, glued to Twitter and any form of sports radio to get a grasp of which team Deron Williams is leaning towards signing with.

After a total of 14 hours of coverage and a grand total of three hours of sleep, I'm left with the same decision that I've been grasping for the past 72 hours:

There's no clue, idea or hint in the world that shows if D-Will goes to the Dallas Mavericks or not.

The most anticipated day of the free agency period finally concluded with the Mavs and Brooklyn Nets both making their pitches for the All-Star point guard.

Williams' meeting with the Mavs was so exclusive that no details were given, and whether or not the trio of Donnie Nelson, Rick Carlisle and Michael Finley provided enough pop to bring the Dallas native home remains to be seen.

But right after the Mavs made their pitch, Brooklyn made a huge—albeit questionable—statement to send half of their roster to Atlanta for All-Star guard Joe Johnson.

Yes, the same Joe Johnson that will be making close to $90 million over the next four years, after a result of earning one of the most absurd contracts in NBA history back in 2010.

This situation has become every bit of a roller coaster. This one has about 100 drops of different emotions and opinions, and SI.com's Sam Amick added to that with the conclusion of Williams' meeting with the Nets.

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Source says Nets' meeting with Deron Williams "went well," but no word on a decision.

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 3, 2012

 

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The good news: No decision has been made. The bad news? Courtesy of ESPN's Ric Bucher:

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Mavs/Nets fans + e'rbody else: source says Deron Williams will not make, or at least announce, his decision tonight. Sweet dreams.

— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) July 3, 2012

 

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One more day. Plus, it's not like he's going to say the meeting went awful.

Things have gotten so crazy, that if you follow ESPN Dallas' Ben Rogers on Twitter, then you're well aware of the percentage meter he's been tweeting every few hours.

Earlier in the day, he was 68% confident that D-Will would come to Dallas. In a matter of six hours, that number has dropped to 35%.

I'll let you all decide on if that provides any major significance going forward.

And if you're any bit awake by 9 a.m. CT, be sure to tune in to the "Ben & Skin Show" on ESPN Radio. Marc Stein will more than likely have a report by then.

Now that that's done, on to other interesting news involving a disgruntled superstar in Orlando, and for other free agent news for your daily Mavs updates.

Howard puts Mavs Atop of His Wishlist

Remember the time when Dwight Howard said that the only team he wanted to go to was Brooklyn?

That was so two days ago.

According to Ric Bucher, moments after the Nets made the trade for Johnson, Bucher reported that Howard has put Dallas atop his list of teams that he would like to play for, whether it be via trade or free agency.

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Source: With Nets out of equation, Mavs go to top of Dwight Howard's wish list. No other teams - Lakers included - on it. For now.

— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) July 2, 2012"

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However, despite the fact that the Nets just absorbed Johnson's contract, Bucher tweeted moments later saying that no one should count Brooklyn out of the DH12 sweepstakes.

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That didn't take long: now being told not to count out DH still making his way to the Nets. So list now is: 1.(Nets) Mavs.

— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) July 3, 2012

 

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It's been well-documented that Howard wants to continue his career with the Nets in The Big Apple, but right now, cap space would prevent any possible and logical move to send Superman to Brooklyn.

They grabbed the $89 million over four years they now owe Johnson—he'll be making $19,752,645 this upcoming season—they re-signed Gerald Wallace to a four-year, $40 million contract and if they do grab D-Will, it would be close to $19 million owed the upcoming year.

That alone would equal approximately $48 million with $10 million left under the cap to sign seven more players.

Dwight's projected $20 million per year over five years will make that a little complicated, to say the least.

Things are only going to get interesting from here.

For only two major stories brewing in Dallas, there was a lot to digest tonight. If you need to get caught up with everything Dallas-related in free agency, make sure you check out my page for other articles.