As expected, the Jazz re-signed Deron Williams yesterday. Also as expected, D Will took the popular "three-year with a player option for a fourth" max contract that stars like Chris Paul and LeBron James have been signing recently. This is the course that TCGers, led by the Crotty Kid, have been predicting for months now.
So what does it mean?
First, the good:
- We lock up Williams for at least three years. He's the cornerstone of the franchise and by all accounts, appears happy to be in Utah.
- He has an enormous financial incentive to play well and help the Jazz win ballgames for the next three seasons -- a trait you like to have in your franchise player. He'll be looking for a huge contract when this one wraps up and will no doubt be playing like it. Someone who takes three years of guaranteed millions instead of five thinks they're going to keep competing at a damn high level.
- It would have been nice to have him for five years, which apparently is what the Jazz were pushing for and what took the contract process two weeks to complete. At the end of the day though, D Will had all the chips and everyone knew it.
- The Jazz are going to have to pay the luxury tax in 2009-2010 if something drastic doesn't happen. We have almost $45 million committed to three players that year (Booze, Kirilenko, and Williams) and $65 million to six players. If we want to keep Brewer and/or Millsap we're also going to have to give them bigger bucks. The cap that year will probably be around $75 million, so you do the math. . . unless Greg Miller is a hell of a lot less frugal than his old man, Boozer or AK will probably have to go.
1 comment:
One note: since the big contract doesn't kick in for a year, we have Deron for the next four years guaranteed.
I completely agree about the luxury tax. The Jazz need to unload some contract money somewhere or else take the plunge.
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