Mavericks may offer Deron Williams salvation from rocky career

Deron Williams' career is at a crossroads yet again.

After the Brooklyn Nets bought out the remainder of the mercurial point guard's contract Friday, the Dallas Mavericks emerged as a seemingly sensible destination for the 31-year-old floor general.

Related: Mavericks 'welcome home' new signing Deron Williams

Williams' 10-year NBA career has been full of ups and downs - he has experienced varying degrees of individual and team success as well as challenging periods in which his leadership and on-court production were questioned.

As Williams aims to resuscitate a career that was once characterized by hope and hype, we take a look back at his path in the pros and examine how he wound up a virtual NBA castoff.

All That Jazz: The Early Years

Williams was selected by the Utah Jazz with the No. 3 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. A consensus second-team All-American out of Illinois, he was a burly point guard with impressive ball-handling skills and the ability to knock down big shots.

As a rookie in 2005-06, Williams earned a starting role in more than half his team's games. He finished the year with averages of 10.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 28.8 minutes.

Williams evolved into an offensive force during his five-and-a-half seasons in the Beehive State. With his points and assist numbers increasing throughout his first four years, Williams made his first All-Star appearance in his fifth season.

While Williams enjoyed considerable success early in his career, his tumultuous relationship with legendary Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan came to a head in early 2011. A reported confrontation between the two led to the abrupt and shocking resignation of the longest-tenured head coach in the big four major pro sports.

A couple of weeks after Sloan's departure, Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets.

The controversy marked the first of several incidents for which Williams earned a reputation as being difficult to coach.

Hello Brooklyn: D-Will Starts Anew

After a lockout-induced stint abroad, Williams picked up where he left off and was named an All-Star in 2012, his first time as a member of the Nets. He averaged a career-high 21 points, 8.7 assists, and 1.2 steals. However, his team missed the postseason, finishing with a 22-44 record.

That summer, Nets brass bestowed an enviably handsome contract upon their star guard (five years, $98 million). While the deal seemed justifiable at the time, it eventually led to a hefty luxury tax bill for the franchise.

More player-coach drama occurred in the following season (2012-13), and head coach Avery Johnson was relieved of his duties in late December. Shortly before his coach's dismissal, Williams reportedly criticized Johnson's isolation-heavy offensive schemes and responded to his coach's directives with apathy and subordination.

Fast-forward to the 2015 offseason. After playing under P.J. Carlesimo and Jason Kidd, things soured between Williams and the Nets' latest bench boss, Lionel Hollins.

Former Nets forward Paul Pierce had an interesting take on his time as Williams' teammate.

Homeward Bound: The Third Act

Nobody knows what lies next for the enigmatic Texan. A cloud of uncertainty hovers over his future with his hometown Mavericks - a team which boasts this projected starting lineup:

In Dallas, Williams certainly won't have to look far for inspiration, as the Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are certainly headed for a series of heated battles this season following the DeAndre Jordan circus. (A Mavs-Clippers Christmas Day matchup would undoubtedly satiate drama-starved fans.)

Williams and Clippers guard Chris Paul already have a friendly rivalry of their own dating back to his days with the Jazz. The two are inextricably linked after Williams was drafted one spot ahead of Paul in 2005.

Can Williams find his old form and rediscover the magic that once put him in the same conversation as CP3?

Will he be able to lead his new team to the promised land?

Will he jive with coach Rick Carlisle?

On opening night of the 2015-16 campaign, Williams will commence a season-long process of answering these burning questions.