Marvin Williams has declined his early termination option and will remain under contract with the Jazz for the 2013/14 season, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Declining an ETO shouldn't be confused with declining a player option — in this case, Williams has decided not to terminate his contract early, meaning he won't hit free agency this offseason.
Williams, a former second overall pick, established career-lows in MPG (23.7), PPG (7.2), and PER (10.9) in his first season with the Jazz. As such, it wouldn't have been surprising to see him opt for his $7.5MM salary in 2013/14, even if he were healthy. Considering Williams is also recovering from Achilles surgery that's expected to keep him out of action for several months, his decision comes as even less of a shock.
With Williams now officially on the books for next season, the Jazz have six players on guaranteed contracts for a total of $25.33MM. That leaves plenty of room for the team to explore ways to improve the roster, whether that means making trades, signing outside free agents, or bringing back its own free agents like Paul Millsap and/or Al Jefferson.