Williams, the prized free agent, was said to be torn between re-signing with the Brooklyn-bound Nets, a move he finds exciting, or playing near friends and family for his hometown Mavericks alongside superstar Dirk Nowitzki.

Kidd, who spent much of last week playing golf with Williams in New York, said the point guard ultimately was impressed with the roster upgrades Nets general manager Billy King pulled off this week. King traded for Atlanta Hawks All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson without giving up emerging guard MarShon Brooks, re-signed Gerald Wallace and added promising 6-foot-9 Bosnian forward Mirza Teletovic.

Rumors also persisted that the Nets were still involved in trade talks to pry Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic.

Meanwhile, the Mavs had yet to make a roster move and reports surfaced that sixth man Jason Terry was nearing a three-year agreement to join the Boston Celtics.

"Honestly, it came down to the roster," Kidd said. "Brooklyn made moves that improved the roster dramatically, and he saw things were going that way. That would be my opinion from looking on the outside. He felt that if Dirk goes down he's sitting with himself."

It also didn't hurt the Nets' cause that they could offer Williams a five-year deal for $98 million while the new collective bargaining agreement limited the Mavs' offer to four years and about $75 million.

"From my point of view, I would say it's not about the money," Kidd said. "He wants to win. He's been losing. He's been getting his teeth kicked in the last couple of years."