Deron’s Three-Year Deal Is Sign of the Times

Deron Williams, the Jazz’s stud point guard and, to those in the know, 1B to Chris Paul’s 1A, finally agreed to a deal yesterday. The delay? Deciding how many years of max money he wanted, that not-so-quiet revolution in NBA labor relations that may actually force GMs to do their jobs well.↵
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↵From The Salt Lake Tribune:↵↵⇥Although the Jazz had hoped Williams would agree to a five-year extension, the longest allowable, Williams ultimately decided to follow LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul in opting for the shorter deal. Williams was concerned about the Jazz’s future with Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Kyle Korver all able to opt out of their contracts and become free agents next summer as well as Jerry Sloan’s desire to continue coaching beyond this season. ↵⇥
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↵⇥There was added uncertainty with Jazz owner Larry Miller having been hospitalized since June 10 with complications from diabetes. Williams also can return to the free-agent market sooner thanks to the shorter extension.↵↵When the three-year max deal comes to Utah, you know the earth has changed. It’s like when birth control hit the Ozarks, or Spock dropped acid -- the past is officially dead, and what once seemed radical is now the way things are. Though notice, Williams does claim that the situation with Larry Miller might play a part in his wanting flexibility. And as long as a player says, implicitly, “Larry Miller is part of what keeps me here,” you can rest assured that basketball in that city will never make total sense to the rest of us. Yes, Miller is a solid owner, but he’s also a wacko right-winger, and stands for everything that’s always made SLC a little weird for many NBA players.↵