Deron Williams made it official nearly an hour after the NBA moratorium was lifted Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. ET, signing his five-year, $98 million contract with the
Brooklyn Nets in Las Vegas.
Williams has an opt-out in his contract after the fourth year, sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
"Officially a Brooklyn Net! Signed my contract on an iPad Just thank God for this wonderful Opportunity #HelloBrooklyn" Williams tweeted.
"We are obviously thrilled that Deron will lead the Nets into our new home in Brooklyn," Nets general manager Billy King said in a statement. "Deron is in my opinion the top point guard in the NBA. With his leadership and guidance on and off the court, the fans of Brooklyn should be proud."
Williams announced on Twitter last Tuesday night that he had decided to stay with the Nets over leaving to play in his hometown with the
Dallas Mavericks.
"I am really excited to be able to officially say that Brooklyn is home," Williams said in a statement on Wednesday.
"It is an incredible time to play in Brooklyn and to be a part of this organization, the first sports team to call Brooklyn home in over 50 years."
The 28-year-old told reporters in Vegas that he was leaning toward picking the Mavericks, but changed his mind
when the Nets acquired Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks .
"I actually thought that's where I was going to go," Williams said.
"I had the meetings and it kind of changed my mind because once I got out of the meeting with Dallas and saw the way they were going and the team they were putting out there, and I saw that we just made a trade for Joe Johnson and I felt like that team for a longer time would be the better team."