Kidd: Roster Upgrades Were the Difference For Williams

Jason Kidd and Deron Williams spent time together in the days leading up to Williams' decision to re-sign with the Nets. In an interview with ESPN Dallas, Kidd says that Williams was "very close to going to Dallas."

But ultimately, it was Billy King's moves to surround Williams with an improved supporting cast (Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and Mirza Teletovic) that have Williams going with the Nets to Brooklyn.

"Brooklyn made moves that improved the roster dramatically and he saw things were going that way," Kidd said. "That would be my opinion from looking on the outside. He felt that if Dirk [Nowitzki] goes down he's sitting with himself."

There were reports that Kidd and Williams were a package deal, but Kidd seems to be leaning toward re-signing with the Mavs, saying, "It's just a matter if we can get a deal done with [Mark] Cuban that he feels is right."

Meanwhile, in an interview with NBA TV Tuesday night, David Aldridge said the Mavericks bid for Williams was $5 million short of the max, meaning the disparity between the Brooklyn and Dallas offers was about $30 million. Aldridge said the Mavs had "other things" they needed to do with the additional cap space.

• Kidd says Williams was 'very close' to joining Mavericks - Jeff Caplan - ESPN Dallas