The conventional wisdom among sports writers, never ones to veer too far off the beaten track, is simple. Deron Williams will be a Dallas Maverick next summer. Never mind that Mark Cuban's rationale in dumping contract may be as much about saving tens of millions of dollars as it is about preserving cap space.

Alex Raskin, writing in the Wall Street Journal, offers an alternative scenario, one where the Nets retain D-Will and he leads them into Barclays Center.

He cites not just the $109 million contract he can get in Brooklyn (compared to $85 million elsewhere) but also the business opportunities, being the big fish in the big pond.

More importantly, from a basketball prospect he writes how the Nets will have a solid roster of role players and tons of cap space to make Brooklyn work. Gerald Wallace, he notes, "is a step toward making the first season in Brooklyn a competitive one. That's significant because, league sources say, Williams's desire to stay with the Nets wasn't tied to Dwight Howard, but to the team's chance of success."

• Why Williams May Choose Brooklyn - Alex Raskin - Wall Street Journal
• Some local fans have it better than others - Mike Vaccaro - New York Post