by Adam Figman / @afigman
New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams has inked with a new agent, ESPN has learned. But what the Worldwide Leader—and everyone else—doesn’t know just yet is if DWill’s newly-signed agent will convince his client to stay with the Nets and sign on long-term.
That’s certainly what the Nets are hoping for, and they’ll do what they can to make that happen—including, as would be expected, a chase for the top free agents available next summer. And there’ll no bigger free agent than 6-11 center Dwight Howard, who may be in the market for a good offer to play alongside another superstar.
Via ESPN:
New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams has chosen to sign with Jeff Schwartz as his new agent, according to sources with knowledge of the decision.
Williams recently parted ways with longtime agent Bob McLaren, who primarily works with Major League Baseball clients.
The decision to sign with Schwartz’s Excel Sports Management means that the top three free agents in the summer of 2012 will all be represented by different agents. Orlando’s Dwight Howard is represented by Dan Fegan, New Orleans’ Chris Paul signed with Leon Rose last summer and now Williams is aligning with Schwartz, whose client roster includes top veterans Paul Pierce, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler and Lamar Odom, as well as young stars Blake Griffin and Kevin Love.
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Williams has made no firm promises about staying in New Jersey but has said he likes the direction of the franchise under new owner Mikhail Prokhorov. The 27-year-old has likewise expressed optimism about the team’s scheduled move to Brooklyn starting with the 2012-13 season and his potential role in luring other top players to the Nets.
The Nets, sources said, intend to make a hard push for Howard in an attempt to convince Williams to commit long term.
