Southeast Links: Williams, Nelson, Chalmers

The Hawks didn’t get the full return on their mid-level investment in Lou Williams last season, as the sixth man went down in January with a torn ACL. Still, he didn’t take nearly as long to come back as Derrick Rose and others who’ve suffered similar injuries, as Williams is playing in Atlanta’s game tonight against his former team, the Sixers. Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

  • Jameer Nelson has never played for a team other than the Magic, and he tells Ian Thomsen of SI.com that he’d like that to remain true when he calls it a career. He acknowledges that he could be traded this season and understands he’s powerless to stop the Magic if they want to make that happen. Nelson envisions being the one making those decisions as a GM once he retires and can also see himself as a coach.
  • In today’s mailbag, a reader asked Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel if impending free agent Mario Chalmers could be playing himself out of the Heat‘s price range with his performance this year. Chalmers, who is making $4MM in the final year of his deal, could be a casualty as the Heat are mindful of luxury tax implications. Miami has already exercised its 2014/15 option on the cheaper Norris Cole.
  • Martell Webster finds himself in a familiar position as Trevor Ariza is once again sidelined with a leg injury, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Webster stepped into the starting lineup in Ariza’s place last season and went on to post career-best numbers and earn a four-year, $22MM deal from Washington.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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