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 All-Star point guard Deron Williams is dead set at signing a new contract ... before the Olympics start in late July.
A day after the New Jersey Nets' season ended on Friday (April 27), the 27-year-old baller has yet to hint at where he plans to go or if he'll remain a Net when the team moves into its new arena in Brooklyn. Right now, he's exploring all options.
"The season just ended yesterday," Williams told the Associated Press. "We have time, playoffs. A lot of stuff is going to happen. Just take my time. But I don't want to take too much time. I want to try to have something done by the Olympics."
Williams has been consistent all season, saying he will opt out of his contract and test the free-agent market this summer, especially after the Nets (22-44) missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.
Some speculate that he may head to Dallas to play for the Mavericks, where he grew up and played high school ball.
He's already toured the under-construction Barclays Arena (Net's home next season), and while he tells the AP that he can see himself playing there, his desire to win a championship is greater.
"I'm still looking at all the possibilities here," Williams said. "I went to the arena a couple days ago and saw how it was and it's going to be an exciting arena, a great place to play, and I've always been confident in this organization. Even though I was opting out, I never said I wasn't re-signing with the Nets and that still remains the same.
"I want to go where I feel we have the best chance to win," he continued. "I know we might not win a championship in the first year or two, but hopefully as the chances of building something special and have flexibility and somewhere where I believe they're headed in the right direction."
Williams said he wants a new contract before the Olympics because he does not want to play in the London games without a deal.
In addition to Williams, forwards Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries will also become free agents this summer. Humphries "sounded as if he wanted to return," wrote the AP; and Wallace plans to opt out of his contract and wants a long-term deal.
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