NBA Lockout: Deron Wiliams to Turkey Is Wake-Up Call to NBA

ESPN has confirmed that Deron Williams does intend to play professional basketball in Turkey if the NBA lockout is not resolved by the start of the season.

It's pretty incredible that one of the brightest stars in the basketball today has all intentions of breaking away from the player's union.

Kevin Durant (among others) has made it public that he and his fellow players are willing to miss games if they do not get what they want in a new CBA.

Could more players be on the move to another country if the NBA lockout forces players to miss games this season?

Williams has reached an agreement in principle with Turkish club Besiktas. Besiktas may be best known for signing Allen Iverson this past season. There are still a few more things that Williams needs to do before he is allowed to play in Turkey because he is still technically under contract with the New Jersey Nets and the NBA. 

Williams was acquired from the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline this past season and is undoubtedly the cornerstone of the New Jersey Nets franchise as they move to Brooklyn in 2012-13.

Neither the NBA or their players benefit from the two-time All-Star agreeing to take his talent's to another league. The NBA now faces the threat of losing more of their top-talent to another professional basketball league (for good?) and the player's obviously care more about money than they do their union.

The NFL lockout is completely different from the NBA's for many reasons, but for starters there is no other professional football league in the world that comes close to the National Football League.

The NBA has grown dramatically overseas and Deron Williams will be able to play competitive basketball, while refining his skills and getting paid to due so. A lot of credit should be given to Williams for not sticking with the status-quo of this NBA lockout and getting something done.

One of the NBA's top players headed to another country to play basketball should certainly get the wheel's turning on both ends of the bargaining table.