Nets are avalaible to trade Deron Williams

You remember Deron Williams?

You could be forgiven if you didn't. Williams was a dud in the playoffs, particularly against the Heat. He scored zero points in Game 2, nine points in Game 3 and 13 points (on 5-of-14 shooting) in a Game 4 loss that pushed the Nets to the brink of elimination. Williams' postseason field-goal percentage: 39.5.

The Nets imported Pierce and Garnett for their wisdom and their fire, but no one expected the two aging vets to carry the offense. It is Williams who was acquired to be the face of the franchise, the engine of the Nets offense, and he has utterly failed in that role.

No matter how many tens of millions they spend, no matter how many flashy trades they make, the Nets will never be a serious contender unless Williams regains his All-Star form.

"Deron's the X-factor," said one Nets official. "More than anybody."

Since Williams' celebrated arrival in 2011, the Nets have made two trips to the playoffs, one ending in the first round and one in the second, for a postseason record of 8-11.

The Nets' debut season in Brooklyn ended with a humiliating Game 7 loss on their home court to a broken-down Chicago Bulls team. LeBron James ended their 2014 run, which would be easier to rationalize if not for the fact that the Nets lasted just five games, despite their gaudy payroll, their superior depth and a lineup stocked with decorated stars—Williams, Pierce, Garnett and Joe Johnson.

Losing Lopez to season-ending foot surgery in December surely put a crimp in the Nets offense, but it also forced coach Jason Kidd to adopt the small-ball lineup that turned the season around.

"I used to feel like I was the best player on the court, no matter who we were playing against," Williams told reporters Thursday, an implicit acknowledgment of his diminished status.

The Williams trade cost the Nets two first-round picks, plus promising forward Derrick Favors. (The picks turned into Enes Kanter and Gorgui Dieng.) But the real cost has been so much greater.

In 2012, the Nets sent an unprotected first-round pick to Portland for the aging Gerald Wallace—a move made to placate Williams, who was miserable on a losing team and was demanding veteran help. That draft pick turned into Damian Lillard, who has quickly blossomed into an elite point guard.

The Nets have one year left to meet their owner's goal and, at most, one more year with Pierce and Garnett stabilizing the lineup. Getting Lopez back would help. The Nets surely could have used a 20-point scorer in the paint against Miami.

Team officials were encouraged by Mirza Teletovic and see promise in Mason Plumlee. The Nets also hold the rights to Bojan Bogdanovic, a European star who could either join the Nets next season or be used in a trade.

But Pierce will be 37 next fall, Garnett 38 and Johnson 33. This team has little upside unless Williams somehow rediscovers the swagger that made him a star in Utah.

There is an alternative, sources say, the Nets will not rule out: They could look to trade Williams this summer, retool around Johnson and Lopez, squeeze one more run out of Pierce and Garnett and hope for the best.

It's hard to say what the Nets might get for a 29-year-old former All-Star with bad ankles and $63 million left on his contract, but it's worth exploring. The Houston Rockets tried to acquire Williams last December, so it's not inconceivable that another team desperate for point-guard help might inquire.

The Nets' rise began with Williams' arrival. Their future hopes may depend on his departure.