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On Wednesday night the Brooklyn Nets season ended, as they fell to the Miami Heat 96-94, losing their Eastern Conference SemiFinals matchup 4-1. Then, on Thursday, they held their "exit interviews," in which a few notable news items came from, including an update of sorts on Deron Williams ankles and Andray Blatche announcing he is opting out of his 2014-15 deal, making him a free agent this summer.
First, on Deron Williams.
Deron Williams said he'll have an MRI on his ankles tomorrow. Doctors will determine a course forward from there.
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) May 15, 2014
Deron Williams says he will see a doctor about his ankles and surgery is an option
— Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) May 15, 2014
King confirms a doctor visit is in the cards for Deron Williams.
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) May 15, 2014
Williams also hinted that part of his decision would rest on concern that he's been getting too many cortisone shots the last two years.
Asked Deron during our scrum if he's concerned about number of ankle injections: "I have been worried about that. I’ve had a lot."
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) May 15, 2014
Williams also said that he felt as if he "let people down," as he struggled in these playoffs to live up to the expectations put on him.
Deron Williams: "I kind of feel like I've let people down. I don't like feeling like that."
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) May 15, 2014
Deron Williams:"I used to feel like I was the best player on the court, no matter who we were playing against. I've gotta get back to that."
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) May 15, 2014
Of course, Williams has three more years and around $63 million left on his contract.
On Blatche:
Andray Blatche said he's opting out of deal to become a free agent and explore options. Said he still wants to re-sign.
— Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) May 15, 2014
It was expected that Blatche would opt out, since he was signed for just $1.43 million next season. However, it does get a little complicated, since the Wizards still owe him $8.4 million in amnesty payments next season. So, the main reason for opting out is simple: long-term security.
The Nets do own Blatche's Early Bird Rights, which means that they can give him more money in the long-term (as well as security), while his payments in this next season will be subsidized by his Wizards contract.
Yes, while he is becoming a free agent, which is the right move for him, he does want to come back to the Nets next season, so we'll see if he can work out a new deal this summer to remain in Brooklyn. They can offer him a deal "up to" four years, $25 million.
In more Blatche-like, Blatche-related news:
Andray Blatche lost his passport. So he has to get a new one.
— Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) May 15, 2014
Nice.
In the post-game Wednesday, Andrei Kirilenko said that he too might explore other options.
Andrei Kirilenko said yesterday that he was undecided about picking up his player option
— Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) May 15, 2014
He has a player option, like Blatche and Alan Anderson. No word from Anderson. As for Jason Collins, it appears he will be leaving the NBA to work on his "Be True" campaign.
Finally, Billy King was asked whether Bojan Bogdanovic, the 6'8" Croatian swingman he drafted three years ago, remains an option. Various European reports have him staying with his Turkish team for another two years.
Billy King said Bojan Bogdanovic will be an option. #Nets
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) May 15, 2014