Opening Night is roughly five weeks away for the NBA, and yet the Jalen Duren free agency saga continues. Besides making the Utah Jazz look smart for resolving the Walker Kessler situation as quickly as they did, the Duren situation being the only remaining free agency domino is starting to make everyone roll their eyes, including former Jazz icon Deron Williams.
On Williams' podcast, "To The Baha," Williams gave his candid thoughts on Duren, though because it was a roundtable with Theo Pinson, Raymond Felton, and Charlie Villanueva, they got scattered a bit.
Among Williams thoughts about Duren playing hardball with Detroit were, "I don't think it's very smart... I'm almost done with this topic. I'm almost over... the situation."
Williams also believes Duren's ego is getting in his way because he believe the young star should take the money.
"If, in his mind, he don't want nothing to do with them, that's the only reason I can see it. Like, he's so mad about the situation, which is ego, because, bro, go get that money."
Williams urged Durent to "sign a (expletive) three-year deal." He elaborated more, saying, "There's like this first contract, get it because you don't know if the next one is coming. What happens if he keeps playing like (expletive) in the playoffs?"
That was more or less what everyone else agreed on: take the money and then worry about what happens next down the line.
Deron Williams made the most out of his situation
Typically in situations like these, some former NBA stars may issue caution that players like Duren mustn't screw up as a warning to not make the same mistake their predecessors did. Williams was not one of these players.
Williams had a pretty bad exit from Utah, but he didn't leave much to chance when it came to extensions. Every chance he had to make the most money possible, he took it without thinking twice. In all fairness, Williams had a better rep at the top of his game than Duren has (and it's likely Duren will never be in the same conversations for center that Williams was for point guards).
In fact, Williams capitalized so well on his value as a point guard that three years after he signed his max deal with Brooklyn in 2012, they waived and stretched his contract three years later after he fell swiftly out of his prime.
So, if Duren listens to what D-Will has to say, keep in mind that Williams is the perfect example of how to strike while the iron is hot financially.
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