Deron Williams, the most coveted NBA free agent this summer, is thought to be favoring the Dallas Mavericks. Williams grew up in Texas. He played high school ball in Texas. Bill Simmons said he was going to the Mavericks! Not so fast, Williams’ mom told ESPN:

At first, the family spent the offseason in Carrollton. But after just two summers, Deron and Amy decided that it was more hassle than homey. They spent the next two offseasons in Utah and the two after that in San Diego.

“He did have a house in Carrollton for the first two offseasons and that was a big issue,” Smith said. “People would just show up, and they felt like they never had any privacy.”

Seven seasons into his career and with his family established and grounded in the NBA way of life, would it now be easier to handle such hometown issues?

“They would definitely have to live where it’s gated,” Smith said with a chuckle.

Does this mean New Orleans is in the mix? Probably not. But maybe! One would have to assume the Nets put on the full court press to keep Williams, and Orlando would be wise to do the same (although it doesn’t have the cap room and it has no trade bait). The door is probably still ajar for the Lakers (for Gasol?).

This won’t happen, but would the Nets do a sign-and-trade for D Wade? If Miami pulled that off, the LeBron-catching-Jordan chatter would certainly pick up steam. [ESPN]