The Sacramento Kings' owner Vivek Ranadivé received a lot of attention following the surprise firing of coach Michael Malone when he said his basketball team needed to be more of a jazz band with a jazz director than the "Sousa marching band" they were under Malone. The Kings kept assistant coach Tyrone Corbin on as the interim coach. Corbin was previously the coach of the Utah Jazz where he once coached Deron Williams. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com told us that the Nets could have a hard time moving Williams contract but the Kings may try to swing a deal.
They could be going a different way with this Jazz metaphor and try to get the old band back together. Ken Berger has confirmed reports from Yahoo Sports that the Kings are interested in trading for Williams by sending Darren Collison, Derrick Williams, and Jason Thompson to the Brooklyn Nets. The Kings are said to also want Mason Plumlee in the deal but the Nets aren't looking to include him. The inclusion of Plumlee would be the presumed needed incentive for a team to want to take on Williams' contract.
The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings are discussing a deal centered on former All-Star guard Deron Williams, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Nets have been shopping their high-priced star players, and the Kings have been probing the market for an impact point guard.
No deal is imminent, but the talks are ongoing, sources told Yahoo Sports.
The talks have centered on sending the Nets point guard Darren Collison and forwards Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson as part of a multi-player package for Williams, league sources said.
Williams still has two years and $43 million left on his contract. That's a massive committment for any team to make to a veteran point guard with ankle issues. Williams hasn't been the same player we were used to seeing with the Jazz for years, and while he's had flashes of brilliance here and there, consistency has been a big problem for him. The Kings' pursuit of Williams would be an upgrade in talent at point guard over Collison. But is it enough of an upgrade to warrant the jump in salary for their starting point guard from $15 million over the next three seasons to $43 million over two?
For the Nets' side of it, they're not contenders and they're not all that close to figuring it out. They're basically waiting until the summer of 2016 when they'll have loads of cap room and roster flexibility. As of right now, they're a luxury tax nightmare with no real hope for this season or next. Being able to unload this deal for an often injured or injury-slowed former star like Williams for three more manageable contracts would harken back to when the Kings traded Chris Webber to Philadelphia.
Derrick Williams could be a reclamation project for Lionel Hollins and his coaching staff. Jason Thompson is a solid big man that can play next to Kevin Garnett or Mason Plumlee. It's hard to imagine the Nets would be desperate enough to trade their best young asset in the starting center when he seems to be a long-term solution at center for them.