I mean that’s no surprise, it’s SAS and his editors asked him to take the “against” position in this which I’d assume none of their respectable writers were willing to do. Anyways, here goes:

It starts by calling Williams a “scab” which makes zero sense, of course. The owners of Besiktas have no affiliation with the NBA or its labor troubles. There’s a nonsensical out-of-context quote from “an anonymous player” and the repeated accusation that Williams is selfish for “collecting cash,” which coincidentally is the only reason the Worldwide Leader would ever employ Stephen A. Smith. Then more standard issue SAS rambling until along comes this quote:

“Here’s the bottom line,” a league executive told me Thursday. "Not only does Williams help the Nets by remaining in basketball shape and helping to globalize the brand, but he divides the players in a way without even knowing it

“With the money he made last year, with him in position to collect on the $16.3 million for next season, assuming the lockout ends, if he’s going to go and collect more cash in Turkey while mid-level, relatively unknown players remain here waiting for a deal — because Turkey ain’t inviting them overseas — how is the union going to stand up and tell players they need to stand together? It ain’t happening.”

So:
a) Any attempt to stay in shape and out of trouble is now detrimental to the players’ cause. Doesn’t this make Beasley a hero?
b) The brand being globalized is not “NBA” but is rather “Deron Williams.” Deron is weakening, not strengthening, the association between basketball and the NBA that this flawed line of reasoning considers unbreakable.
c) Players are standing together by choosing to find work elsewhere instead of agreeing to the relatively unreasonable demands of their NBA owners.
d) The “league executive” quoted couldn’t be any more clueless regarding opportunities available to mid-level players overseas. Quite a few lower-tier NBAers and rookies have signed deals overseas, such as Sonny Weems, Gilbert Brown, and Darius Songaila. Of course the guy works for the NBA and is trying to give an owner-friendly soundbite, but he’s treating the fans like idiots here.