All Stars Jersey, With one tweet, six words and one poignantly placed logo, Deron Williams committed to Brooklyn and perhaps changed the face of basketball in New York
After months of suspense and second-guessing, Williams -- a slick-passing, high-scoring, All-Star guard -- declared Tuesday night that he would sign with the Nets, ensuring that the franchise will be competitive and compelling when it moves to Brooklyn next fall.
The message -- \"Made a very tough decision today\" -- popped onto Twitter timelines at 7:03 p.m., from Williams\'s verified account. An image of the Nets\' newly redesigned black-and-white shield logo appeared below the words.
He made the decision official three minutes earlier, in a phone call to Nets General Manager Billy King, who staked his tenure on a risky trade for Williams 17 months ago.
Williams, 28, became a free agent Sunday, momentarily leaving the Nets without a clear identity or a leader to open the Brooklyn era. He was courted heavily by the Dallas Mavericks, his hometown team, and by their charismatic owner, Mark Cuban, although they were limited to a deal that would have been one year and $25 million less.
While Williams pondered his choices this week, the Nets kept adding players, laying the groundwork for his return and a promising new start. The moves were apparently persuasive.
Williams will sign a five-year, $100 million contract once the N.B.A.\'s moratorium on signings is All Stars Jersey lifted July 11. Team officials are not permitted to comment until then.
With Williams in the fold, and a revamped roster, the Nets are positioned to become a strong playoff team in the Eastern Conference and challenge the Knicks for the hearts and minds of New York.
Williams is one of the N.B.A.\'s top point guards and one of the league\'s few legitimate franchise players. A three-time All-Star, he has averaged 17.6 points and 9.2 assists over seven N.B.A. seasons, leading the Utah Jazz to the Western Conference finals in 2007.
The Jazz, fearing that Williams would eventually leave, quietly negotiated a trade with the Nets just before the trading deadline in February 2011. In exchange, the Nets gave up All Stars Jersey Devin Harris (their starting point guard), Derrick Favors (the No. 3 pick in the 2010 draft) and two first-round draft picks.
At the time, the deal was viewed as a huge risk, because Williams had just 17 months left on his contract -- and mostly because the Nets were a woeful, star-crossed franchise with a checkered history in New Jersey.
At the time of the deal, the Nets were living a temporary existence in Newark, having abandoned their longtime home in East Rutherford and were playing in a half-empty arena. They lost a franchise-record 70 games the season before Williams arrived.
By staying, Williams vindicated King\'s bold vision, and pledged his faith in the front office\'s ability to build a contender.
The Nets have gone 29-72 in Williams\'s short tenure, with a roster of spare parts and one-dimensional players. They moved to remedy that trend this week, with a series of splashy moves. They struck a deal to acquire the All-Star guard Joe Johnson and reached an agreement with Mirza Teletovic, one of the top scorers in Europe. They also reached a deal to acquire Reggie Evans, a rugged rebounder, from the All Stars Jersey Los Angeles Clippers, and will re-sign Gerald Wallace.
At one time, the Nets\' greatest hope of keeping Williams was to acquire a second star, and they spent much of the last year trying in vain to pry Dwight Howard from Orlando. With Howard\'s future still unclear, the Nets moved quickly to revitalize the roster with other moves.
The Nets also intend to re-sign Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries, their last two significant free agents, and the last two players remaining from the 2010-11 season.
Every deal has been made with Williams in mind, and Nets officials sought his input throughout the process.
Evans and Teletovic agreed to terms Tuesday, according to people involved in the deals.
Teletovic, 26, will sign a three-year, $15 million contract under the midlevel exception. Evans, 32, will come in a sign-and-trade deal worth about $5 million over three years. In exchange, the Nets will send the Clippers a second-round pick in either 2017 or 2018, plus a trade exception worth $3 million.
By using the midlevel exception on Teletovic, the Nets effectively eliminated themselves from contention for Jason Kidd. More significantly, under the N.B.A.\'s new cap rules, a team that uses the full midlevel must adhere to a $74 million cap for that season. That limit will make any trade for Howard even more challenging, and perhaps impractical.
The 6-foot-8 Evans is a 10-year veteran known for his defensive rebounding and an enforcer\'s mentality. He was voted the N.B.A.\'s dirtiest player in a Sports Illustrated player poll this year.
Teletovic, who is 6 feet 9 inches and 242 pounds, played for Caja Laboral in Spain, averaging 22 points and 6 rebounds in Euroleague play last season. A skilled shooter, he converted 43.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Jonathan Givony, the president DraftExpress, called Teletovic \"one of the best scorers in European basketball, period.\"
\"The guy is a flat-out scoring machine,\" Givony said. \"He can come off screens. He can score inside the post. He can put the ball on the deck. He can really do it all.\"
Givony compared Teletovic to Al Harrington, both for his offensive skill set and his shoot-first mentality. He averaged 1.2 assists per game.
\"He is not looking to pass the ball,\" Givony said.
Teletovic is also regarded as a poor defender and rebounder, so he might be better as a bench player for the Nets, who already have Lopez, a poor defender, at center. He would fit well next to Howard, however
