NBA

Dirk: 50-50 Nets’ Deron does Dallas

BIG D’S BIG PITCH: Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki said he thinks Nets point guard Deron Williams (pictured) is “50-50” to sign with Dallas once NBA free agency begins tomorrow. “I don’t really think we need to recruit him or anything,” Nowitzki told a Dallas radio station. (Getty Images; EPA (inset))

Deron Williams is expected to either re-sign with the Nets or sign with his hometown Mavericks once the NBA’s free-agency period begins at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow.

But if Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki knows which way Williams is leaning, he’s not letting on.

“I still think it’s 50-50,” Nowitzki said yesterday in an appearance on ESPN Radio in Dallas. “I just don’t know.”

If Williams decides to spurn the Nets and return to his hometown, he will pair with Nowitzki to give Dallas one of the best inside-out combinations in the league. But with Nowitzki having led Dallas to its first championship in 2011 and having spent his whole career there, Williams would be joining Nowitzki’s team if he heads to the Mavericks, as opposed to being the face of a franchise moving into the brand-new Barclays Center if he remains a Net.

NETS’ FREE-AGENCY TRACKER

“Both organizations are great and have great owners that have money and the resources to really build something,” Nowitzki said. “[Mavericks owner Mark] Cuban has shown it here, so, yeah, it’s tough. I don’t really think we need to recruit him or anything. He knows what he’s got here. There’s a great owner, great organization, great fans.

“It’s just a matter of does he want to come home and be close to home or does he rather want to make the move to New York and get probably more endorsement deals and stuff like that? I think if that’s on his mind it’s definitely better in New York.”

But Nowitzki also admitted Dallas needs Williams if it hopes to keep up with Oklahoma City in the Western Conference. The Mavericks were swept out of the playoffs in the first round by the Thunder, and Oklahoma City went on to reach the NBA Finals before losing to the Heat.

“If he comes we can be right back in the mix. We obviously know that the top in the West is very, very good, very athletic and young, just a bunch of playmakers on the team,” Nowitzki said. “We definitely need him if we want to make the next step.”

As for Williams, he clearly is enjoying the interest in his future.

The avid golfer tweeted a picture with Jason Kidd yesterday from Bridgehampton, saying “First Eagle today on #13 at Atlantic Golf Club!”

The two also spent the day together golfing Thursday, with Williams making a joke about the speculation surrounding his future. Kidd then responded with a joke about Williams choosing where they would be playing because he won, a tweet he later deleted.

The Nets hope Williams, whom they acquired in a trade with the Jazz in February 2011, will re-sign with the franchise shortly after free agency begins at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow. Kidd, who has played for Dallas since being traded there by the Nets in 2008, has repeatedly said in recent weeks he would be interested in backing up Williams, whether in Dallas or Brooklyn.