Now, in order to keep him in town, ESPN.com reports that New Jersey will aggressively pursue Magic superstar center Dwight Howard, who will become a free agent at the end of this season.
Williams is also in the final year of his contract, and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov would like to keep his new star player away from the free-agent market. Prokhorov has been attempting to bring the dismal Nets team back to notoriety since his purchase of the team, first by announcing the move of the team from New Jersey to Brooklyn and then by adding Williams to a team devoid of superstars.
Other than Williams, the Nets do not have a single player that has been named to an All-Star team.
Prokhorov hopes to change this with the addition of Howard, a five-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year in his seven NBA seasons.
The big man also has experience turning a team around. After joining a Magic team that won just 21 games in 2003-04, the former No. 1 overall draft pick has led Orlando to the playoffs five times, including an NBA Finals appearance in 2009.
Prokhorov — and Williams — believe that the Nets' impending move from Newark to a downtown arena in Brooklyn after this season will be an excellent incentive to draw in big names such as Howard, although the two cities are less than 20 miles from each other.
If the Nets are not successful in acquiring Howard and retaining Williams, however, the summer of 2012 may become another blockbuster summer of free agents, reminiscent of the summer of 2010 in which the "Big Three" of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided to join forces in Miami.
In addition to Howard and Williams, Hornets point guard Chris Paul will also become a free agent in 2012 if he does not agree to a new contract.
