This is no real surprise. The question is how hard the Mavericks will pursue him.
Deron Williams will exercise his player option that would have paid him $5.6 million next season and become a free agent, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. Given the rising cap and Williams' solid-enough play, this is no real surprise for the 31-year-old point guard. Now, the question turns to the Mavericks.
This season, Williams was a steady hand guiding the offense and avoided any major injuries until the final month of the season, when a sports hernia eventually ended his year early in the playoffs and will require offseason surgery.