New Jersey Nets: What Does Deron Williams Do Now?

Since the end of the lockout, teaming up with Williams on the Brooklyn-bound Nets seemed like Howard’s most likely course of action, but just before Thursday’s trade deadline, he called an audible.

And now, Williams is forced to make a decision Howard was essentially supposed to make for him.

Even with Gerald Wallace and a healthy Brook Lopez, the Nets aren’t built to contend for a title. Should that prevent Williams from re-signing with the team, though? After all, Howard could very well force his way to Brooklyn next season when the brutal reality of Orlando hits him once again.

But that may be too risky. Howard has already proven to be the poster-boy for indecisiveness, and banking on him coming to his senses is a crap shoot at this point.

With that in mind, if Williams is to leave the Nets, where does he go? Perhaps signing with the Dallas Mavericks and teaming up with Dirk Nowitzki would be the right call.

Such a pairing suggests the Mavericks would return to contender status, but people often neglect to acknowledge that Nowitzki himself is aging. The last thing Williams must do is enter a situation that could go from great to unbearable overnight.

Of course, Williams could head to Dallas over the summer with the hope that Howard eventually joins him there. But again, Howard is a risk in all facets of decision-making.

So, if that doesn’t work, does he then attempt to head to a team currently off his radar?

That’s a possibility, but despite there being an abundance of organizations with cap space to choose from, less than a few offer the chance to team up with a superstar.

That now leaves him with the option of following in the footsteps of Howard and Chris Paul by opting into the last year of his contract.

By refusing to exercise his Early Termination Option (ETO), Williams ensures that he lets all other potential scenarios unfold along with his, as opposed to his decision coming a year behind the decisions of Howard and Paul.

Enduring another losing season may not be something Williams is keen on, but it beats the alternative of going to a team that winds up burning him in the long run.

Howard’s demeanor throughout his entire soap opera was anything but respectable, yet with so much at stake, Williams ought to take a page out of his book, throw his ETO out the window and remain with his incumbent team.

For now.