Last Updated on April 3, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
Deron Williams’s contract history has more moving parts than a typical star-guard salary page. It starts with a standard Utah rookie-scale deal, shifts into a major Jazz extension, then moves into the blockbuster 2011 trade to New Jersey/Brooklyn, the five-year max contract he signed to stay with the Nets in 2012, and finally the complicated late-career stretch involving Brooklyn’s buyout, Dallas contracts, a Cleveland rest-of-season minimum deal, and retained buyout payments that continued after his final NBA season. Spotrac lists Williams at $164,961,148 in total NBA career earnings. (spotrac.com)
What makes Deron Williams contract history especially useful as a standalone post is that it shows both a peak-era point guard getting max-level money and a rare post-prime earnings tail created by a waived-and-stretched contract. That unusual Brooklyn ending is why his earnings record does not stop cleanly when his on-court NBA career ends in 2017. (espn.com)
Deron Williams Contract Agreements (As Signed)
This table tracks each contract event as Deron Williams and his teams agreed to it at the time: rookie deal, option decisions, rookie extension, trade-related contract carryover, max re-signing, buyout, Dallas deals, Cleveland minimum signing, and final NBA endpoint. The framework follows the same structure as the Dirk Nowitzki contract-history template. (shamsports.com)
| Date | Age | Team | Contract Move | Reported Terms | Seasons Affected | Clauses / Options | Detailed Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 28, 2005 | 21 | Utah Jazz | Drafted | No. 3 overall pick in 2005 NBA Draft | 2005 draft rights | Draft rights obtained directly by Utah | This is the starting point of Deron Williams’s NBA contract history, with Utah selecting him third overall out of Illinois. |
| July 11, 2005 | 21 | Utah Jazz | Signed rookie-scale contract | 4 years, $16,316,569 | 2005-06 to 2008-09 | Included 2007-08 and 2008-09 team options | Utah locked Williams into the full rookie-scale structure early, giving the club two later option decisions before extension time arrived. |
| October 30, 2006 | 22 | Utah Jazz | Team option exercised | 2007-08 option picked up | 2007-08 | Third-year team option | This kept Williams on track for the full four-year rookie contract. |
| October 30, 2007 | 23 | Utah Jazz | Team option exercised | 2008-09 option picked up | 2008-09 | Fourth-year team option | Utah completed the full rookie-scale deal and preserved extension control. |
| July 18, 2008 | 24 | Utah Jazz | Rookie extension signed | Commonly reported as 3 years and about $50 million, with a player option that could push it near $70 million; ShamSports logs a maximum value of $62,599,916 | 2009-10 onward | Player option for 2012-13 | This was Utah’s franchise-guard commitment, signed before Williams reached free agency. Different sources frame the total differently depending on whether they emphasize the guaranteed three-year structure or the option-year ceiling. |
| February 23, 2011 | 26 | New Jersey Nets | Traded to New Jersey | Existing Jazz extension carried over in blockbuster trade | 2010-11 to 2011-12 | Player option remained in place | Utah traded Williams to New Jersey for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, draft capital, and cash, moving his existing contract to the Nets. |
| June 30, 2012 | 28 | Brooklyn Nets | Player option declined | Declined 2012-13 player option | 2012 offseason | Became unrestricted free agent | This opened the door for Williams to negotiate a brand-new max contract with Brooklyn. |
| July 11, 2012 | 28 | Brooklyn Nets | Re-signed with Brooklyn | 5 years, $98,772,325 max contract; commonly reported at $98 million | 2012-13 to 2016-17 | Early termination option after 2015-16 | Williams chose Brooklyn over Dallas and signed the biggest contract of his NBA career just as the Nets completed their move to Brooklyn. |
| July 11, 2015 | 31 | Brooklyn Nets | Waived after buyout | Nets agreed to pay $27.5 million of the roughly $43.3 million remaining | Buyout affected 2015 forward | Stretch/buyout structure | This is the most unusual point in Williams’s contract history. Brooklyn ended the max-contract era by waiving him, while retained payments continued well beyond his time on the roster. |
| July 14, 2015 | 31 | Dallas Mavericks | Signed with Dallas | 2 years, $11 million | 2015-16 to 2016-17 | Player option for 2016-17 | After leaving Brooklyn, Williams went home to Dallas on a smaller deal that gave him the right to test the market again after one season. |
| April 29, 2016 | 31 | Dallas Mavericks | Player option declined | Declined $5.6 million option for 2016-17 | 2016 offseason | Became unrestricted free agent | Williams opted out after one season in Dallas, betting on a better short-term deal. |
| July 8, 2016 | 32 | Dallas Mavericks | Re-signed with Dallas | 1 year, $10 million | 2016-17 | Fully guaranteed one-year deal | Dallas brought Williams back at a higher one-year figure for what became his final full-season NBA contract. |
| February 23, 2017 | 32 | Dallas Mavericks | Waived | Dallas owed roughly $2.5 million left on the deal | End of 2016-17 | Waiver after deadline | The Mavericks moved on late in the season, clearing the way for Williams to join a contender. |
| February 27, 2017 | 32 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Signed rest-of-season contract | Guaranteed veteran minimum deal for the remainder of the season; Spotrac lists $410,733 | 2016-17 | Rest-of-season minimum | Cleveland added Williams as a veteran backup point guard for its title chase. |
| Post-2017 season | 33 | — | Final NBA endpoint | No later NBA contract signed | End of NBA career | ShamSports lists him as retired after 2017 season | Williams’s final NBA contract was the Cleveland minimum deal, even though Brooklyn retained-payment earnings continued afterward. |
Deron Williams NBA Salaries by Season (Actual Salary Paid)
This table follows Spotrac’s cash-based earnings ledger rather than simple cap-hit figures. That matters a lot here, because the 2011-12 lockout shortened Williams’s cash earnings for that season, and the Brooklyn buyout later created retained-payment entries that kept adding to his career total after his final NBA season. That is why the table continues beyond 2016-17. (spotrac.com)
| Season | Age | Salary | Cumulative Career Earnings | Contract Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 21 | $3,487,400 | $3,487,400 | Rookie contract |
| 2006-07 | 22 | $3,749,040 | $7,236,440 | Rookie contract |
| 2007-08 | 23 | $4,010,640 | $11,247,080 | Rookie contract |
| 2008-09 | 24 | $5,069,449 | $16,316,529 | Rookie option year |
| 2009-10 | 25 | $17,500,000 | $33,816,529 | Jazz extension structure |
| 2010-11 | 26 | $14,940,152 | $48,756,681 | Jazz extension structure |
| 2011-12 | 27 | $13,167,648 | $61,924,329 | Lockout-shortened Nets season |
| 2012-13 | 28 | $17,177,795 | $79,102,124 | Nets max contract |
| 2013-14 | 29 | $18,466,130 | $97,568,254 | Nets max contract |
| 2014-15 | 30 | $19,754,465 | $117,322,719 | Nets max contract |
| 2015-16 | 31 | $10,853,761 | $128,176,480 | Brooklyn retained pay + Dallas salary |
| 2016-17 | 32 | $14,885,520 | $143,062,000 | Brooklyn retained pay + Dallas retained pay + Cleveland salary |
| 2017-18 | 33 | $5,474,787 | $148,536,787 | Brooklyn retained payment |
| 2018-19 | 34 | $5,474,787 | $154,011,574 | Brooklyn retained payment |
| 2019-20 | 35 | $5,474,787 | $159,486,361 | Brooklyn retained payment |
| 2020 retained payment | 36 | $5,474,787 | $164,961,148 | Final Brooklyn retained payment |
| TOTAL | $164,961,148 | $164,961,148 | Utah, New Jersey/Brooklyn, Dallas, Cleveland |
Analysis
Deron Williams’s contract history works best in three phases. The first is the Utah phase, when he moved from rookie-scale point guard to franchise centerpiece. Utah exercised both rookie options, then committed big money in 2008 with an extension structure that was widely reported as a three-year deal with a player option but is also logged by cap databases in a higher rolled-up form. (shamsports.com)
The second phase is the Nets max-contract era. Brooklyn inherited Williams’s existing extension in the 2011 trade, then convinced him to stay in 2012 on a five-year max agreement after he seriously considered Dallas. At that point, his contract history looked like a normal superstar progression: draft pick, rookie extension, then major unrestricted free-agent payday. (shamsports.com)
The third phase is what gives this post its real depth. Brooklyn bought Williams out in 2015, he signed two separate Dallas deals, Dallas waived him in 2017, Cleveland added him for the stretch run, and retained Brooklyn payments kept hitting his cash ledger after his final season. That means a Deron Williams contract history page is not just about how much he signed for at each stop; it also shows how NBA earnings can keep flowing after a star’s playing career has effectively ended. (espn.com)
Sources:
Spotrac — Deron Williams career earnings and per-year cash data. (spotrac.com)
ShamSports — Deron Williams transactions and contract structure summary. (shamsports.com)
ESPN — 2008 Jazz extension report. (ESPN.com)
ESPN — Deron Williams on choosing Brooklyn in 2012. (espn.com)
ESPN — Brooklyn buyout details and Dallas move in 2015. (espn.com)
ESPN — Dallas re-signing in 2016. (ESPN.com)
ESPN — Dallas waiver in 2017. (espn.com)
ESPN — Cleveland signing in 2017. (espn.com)