Report: Former No. 2 pick Derrick Williams meeting with Knicks, Mavs

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If basketball identified post-hype sleepers the same way baseball does, Derrick Williams would find his name near the top of the list.

The No. 2 overall pick in 2011, Williams was non-tendered by the Sacramento Kings this week, making him an unrestricted free agent. This frees Williams to hit the open market, and he's already set up meetings with the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

To call Williams a bust may not be entirely fair at age 24, but it's clear he's disappointed relative to his draft slot. The Minnesota Timberwolves gave up on him after two-plus years, and the Kings are now doing essentially the same. Sacramento, hungry for cap space, didn't want to risk Williams accepting the one-year, $4.05-million qualifying offer it needed to tender to retain his rights in restricted free agency.

Taking a low-cost flier on Williams could prove a savvy play by the Knicks or Mavs. The Knicks just need talent, and taking a swing on a lottery ticket of sorts is exactly how they should be using their roster spots if they strike out on marquee free agents. The Mavericks, meanwhile, need to find low-cost rotation players to maintain the annual flexibility they so covet.

Williams may still turn out to be a quality player. Over four seasons, he's averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 22.4 minutes and has flashed some semblance of an outside shot, hitting 30.1 percent of his threes.

A combo-forward best suited as a stretch-four, Williams will have to improve his face-up game and his range to fulfill that role while also steadying his defense, which ranked last among all power forwards by ESPN's Real Plus-Minus last season.