Deron Williams says again he wanted more than one-year deal to return to Dallas

Deron Williams will be 32 years old this NBA season, and is coming off a sports hernia surgery. That said, at age 31 he was solid for the Mavericks, averaging 14.1 points and 5.8 assists per game. His efficiency dipped from previous years, but he played well for Dallas.

Williams had hoped his stats would have earned him a multi-year contract and some security in Dallas, but instead he ended up with a one-year, $10 million deal. He’s not thrilled about it — something he has said before — but he’s optimistic about the next season with the Mavericks, he told DallasNews.com (at Williams’ annual charity golf event).

“I’d have liked to be here for a little longer,” Williams said of the one-year deal. “We’ll see how it goes. It is what it is. For sure, I wanted to be back. I felt like I had some unfinished business at the end of last year the way things ended and I wasn’t able to be on the court. Hopefully I’ll stay healthy because I’m excited about this team.”

I can’t blame him for wanting more years, but I think the short contract offer was the right move by Dallas. This team needs flexibility going forward.

Williams sees the additions of Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut as upgrades over Chandler Parsons and Zaza Pachulia (and he’s right).

“We’re definitely going to miss Chandler, but Harrison stepping in, that’s not a downgrade,” Williams said. “It’s going to be great to see how he handles being a go-to guy. He’s kind of been in the shadows (at Golden State). We’ll see what he can do now with the ball in his hands. And I’m looking forward to playing with big Bogut. I’ve been a fan of his for awhile. He’s definitely a player point guards like to play with.”

Dallas is once again going to be a good team battling for one of the final playoff spots in the West. How healthy Williams is and how well he plays — and can set up the quality scorers on that roster — is going to determine what the Mavs are doing in late April.