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- Troy BallardDeron Williams may be in Dallas chatting with the Mavericks, but the Brooklyn Nets aren't sitting around and sulking about the possibility of his departure.
Since the Williams-saga started, the Nets have made and are continuing to make moves that will put the team in position to win with or without him staying in Brooklyn.
However, allow me to clarify this — having Williams stay will make things much easier than if he leaves. Don't be fooled.
There is also the news of Dwight Howard only being interested in going to Brooklyn — very good news for a team that is willing to sell everything and more to land him. But that would require compliance from Orlando, and that's not a sure-fire promise. DH12 would be beautiful, but the Nets are adding to an already solid roster, regardless of what happens with the Magic.
In a recent trade (that now seems incredibly less-substantial to the Howard possibility, but is still a very big move respectively) the Nets sent-off several expiring contracts and a future first-rounder to the Atlanta Hawks for six-time All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson.
Like I said, Brooklyn isn't messing around.
Some are going to shrug it off and say, 'Joe Johnson, seriously? When was the last time he did anything?'
While it's true that Atlanta and Johnson have been stuck in the one-and-done playoff curse, Johnson remained a consistent and valuable leader night-in and night-out for the Hawks. His numbers aren't eye-popping, but he was still able to average close to 20-points a game and a handful of rebounds and assists last season.
He's not a superstar. Johnson will never be a Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade. But he will grind every single game and post consistent numbers every time he takes the floor.
Johnson is that grinder that will fill-in the scoring role if Williams decides to bail to Dallas. He can also take on the veteran-leader persona in the locker room, something that is incredibly undervalued in the game of basketball (sing-song voice — Boston Celtics).
The only negative to Johnson is that he has one of the heaviest contracts in the entire NBA, totaling over $100 million through 2016. However, his expensive price-tag is the only reason the Hawks were willing to part ways with the team's one-time franchise cornerstone.
Along with making the trade to land Johnson, the Nets' front-office also locked in Gerald Wallace for the next four years with a slammer of a $40 million deal. The move to keep Wallace under contract makes perfect sense, as he has the potential to excel even further in Brooklyn given the right opportunity.
Not to mention, having another veteran and consistent defender like Wallace secured for the next four years will not only help the team adjust if Williams leaves, but it also is a perk for him re-signing with the Nets.
$40 million is steep for a player like Wallace -- but the Nets know how valuable he can be when able to flourish. It's obvious that Brooklyn is already imagining the G-Force via Johnson alley-oops. The potential is there, and if Williams re-signs, Wallace is really going to excel.
These moves reflect that the Nets are aware that there is a serious possibility that Williams could leave, and unlike other NBA organizations, the front-office has elected to live in a state or reality instead of denial.
Williams is key, as I mentioned, but Brooklyn knows that it's possible to survive without him. The best way to think of it is as taking a shortcut with a superstar, or taking a few more years to develop and grow the team overall into a contender.
The Nets have the pieces, and are only a few moves away from taking that step into being a next-level team. The attitude of, Williams would be great, but we can do it without him, is exactly what he is going to want to see — and if Brooklyn is lucky, that will get him to re-sign.
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