Western Notes: Williams, Pressey, Blazers

While Deron Williams was regarded as one of the league’s top point guards not too long ago, just being a serviceable option seems to be the goal nowadays for the former All-Star, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes in a lengthy explanatory piece on Williams’ decline. The Mavs signed Williams to a low-risk, two-year contract worth about $10MM with the hopes that the 31-year-old will regain some form.

“I don’t think he’ll be an All-Star again because of how good the West guards are,” one longtime executive told Berger. “I don’t think he’s a top-15 point guard right now, but I think he can eventually get there.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • Entering his third NBA season, Phil Pressey will begin his first season with the Blazers and enter another training camp competing with Tim Frazier for a backup point guard role, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes. Both young guards will compete for minutes behind All-Star Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. In his assessment of the player, Richman writes that Pressey is a pure point guard with natural passing instincts who struggles to shoot the ball. Pressey, as Richman points out, has a non-guaranteed contract worth $947,276.
  • Frazier, who has a non-guaranteed contract worth $845,059, has a shot for more playing time, according to Richman in another story, because he loves to push the pace in transition and is a natural, willing passer.
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