The Brooklyn Nets face an unenviable situation this summer.
They want to keep center Brook Lopez if and when he exercises his player option and becomes an unrestricted free agent, while another professed priority of general manager Billy King's is to retain forward Thaddeus Young.
The trouble with the team is that they're mired in mediocrity and have $67 million tied up in two well-past-their-prime players - Deron Williams and Joe Johnson - until the summer of 2017.
However, that doesn't mean the Nets are prepared to buy Williams out. Despite talk of a release using the "stretch" provision (which is what the Detroit Pistons did with Josh Smith in December), the Nets apparently have no interest in paying Williams the remaining $43 million on his contract if he's not playing, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge.
With the exception of one stunning, throwback 35-point performance in the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, Williams' efficiency relative to his contract is at an all-time low, and he has little trade value. Johnson, on the other hand, with only one year and a little under $25 million on his deal, could be movable.
