Deron Williams will decline his $5.6 million player option for next season with the Dallas Mavericks to test free agency but he has interest in re-signing.

“This has been a great year for me, as far as just being happy and enjoying playing basketball again,” Williams said last week during his exit interview. “You know, with all the guys on the team and the coaching staff, it’s been a great situation for myself. Aside from the injuries, everything was great this season.”

Williams signed with the Mavericks after a buyout ended his frustrating tenure with the Brooklyn Nets.

“I thought his year was extremely productive, you know, other than some of the health issues he had to work through,” Rick Carlisle said while speaking highly of Williams. “We most likely wouldn’t have won a game in the playoff series had he not played in Game 2 and come out and gotten 11 points in the first four minutes, or whatever it was. I mean, that was the only time we had a lead in the entire series, and his game in Utah was the one that got us in the playoffs. You know, he was a 20-plus point scorer that night, and it was his second game back from being out two weeks. So, I want to see him healthy. You know, when players get healthy, they’re happy, they compete better and they’re going to play better. But I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. He’s a pro and his family are terrific people. And of course, we’d like to see him back.”

Williams hasn't yet spent much time thinking about his free agency options.

“I haven’t even thought about it,” Williams said when asked about his potential free agency. “I just was worried about finishing the season on a strong note. Once I got hurt, the focus was just trying to get back and be able to play, so I haven’t even thought about it. That’s something I will discuss with my agent and my wife, and we’ll figure it out.

“I would love to be back. Like I said, this was a great year for me, and I’m definitely happy here. My family is settled and happy here, so it’d definitely be great to be back. It was good. You know, it was a great situation, and I definitely would love to be back.”