Williams, who signed a one-year deal worth a reported $5 million with the Turkish club Besiktas, would be tied with Chris Paul as the league's 13th highest paid player next season, earning more than $16.3 million. Though he reportedly already has started the process of securing insurance in the event of injury, Williams risks forfeiting the final $34 million of his guaranteed money with the Nets over the next two seasons.
Still, Williams says other players are genuinely interested in following in his footsteps.
“I've talked to a lot of players, you would be surprised,” Williams told ESPN.com. “I talked to a few before and I knew some guys were considering it as well. But since it came out, it was just like a snowball of guys calling me (saying), ‘What are you doing? When are you leaving?' And guys want to go too. They want to do it.”
Thunder forward Serge Ibaka recently said if the lockout drags on he would like to return to Spain, where he played for two seasons and resides in the off-season. Former Thunder center Nenad Krstic has already signed to play in Russia. Many more NBA players, including stars as big as Kobe Bryant, have reportedly expressed an interest as well.
“It's more about the experience,” Williams told ESPN.com. “Experience and being able to compete and play basketball.
“I don't want to sit around. That's what the NBA wants us to do right now. They locked us out of our gyms. They locked us out of facilities. We got to find somewhere on our own to go hoop, to put games together. I don't have to do that. I've got a team. I'm going to go through organized practices. I'm going to be in game situations. So if the lockout is lifted, I'm going to be ready to play.”
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