Hornets to re-sign Marvin Williams for 4 years, $54.5 million

The Charlotte Hornets have reached an agreement to re-sign free-agent forward Marvin Williams on a four-year, $54.5-million deal, sources told The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The fourth year of the contract is a player option, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt reports.

Williams reportedly had slightly richer offers from other teams, but preferred to stay in Charlotte at a marginal discount so the Hornets - who lost point guard Jeremy Lin and center Al Jefferson in free agency - can continue to fill out their roster around him.

Williams, who turned 30 last month, finally looked in his 11th NBA season like the player many expected him to be when he was drafted second overall in 2005. On top of keying the Hornets' ninth-ranked defense with his ability to guard both forward spots, switch on the perimeter, and rebound, Williams honed his long-range jumper to a fine point - a huge factor in the team's overhauled offense.

He's coming off a season in which he posted career highs in rebounds (6.4), blocks (1.0), 3-point attempts (4.7) and percentage (40.2), true shooting (58.5), and PER (16.8). The Hornets, thanks in no small part to Williams' contributions, had their best season since returning to Charlotte as the expansion Bobcats in 2004. They were nearly five points per 100 possessions better with Williams on the floor.