New Jersey Nets: 4 Ways to Make Sure Deron Williams Is on the Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are a struggling team looking to end their rebuilding phase and start competing again.  They landed their star, Deron Williams, last year at the trade deadline. 

The addition of Williams has not turned things around for New Jersey, as they continue consistently losing games. 

The Nets are at risk of losing Deron Williams after this season if they can not change things.

There are certain measure that the New Jersey Nets can take in order to keep Williams on their team when they become the Brooklyn Nets next season.

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1. Start Winning

The Nets are an awful 2-9 right now, and if it weren't for the Wizards looking like the 2009-10 Nets, New Jersey would be in last place.

Nobody wants to be on a bad team.  Deron Williams will stay with the Nets is he thinks they can compete and play good basketball.  The problem is, they are not playing good basketball right now.

The Nets need more consistency and it all starts with Williams.

The Nets' next 10 games are crucial for the rest of the season.  In those 10 games, New Jersey will be playing five teams that have records of .500 or worse.  The Nets need to at least split these 10 games, and then try to get back to .500.

2. Bring in Some Good Talent

Deron Williams said it himself, "Hopefully we get some good talent in here to where I can stay."

The Nets will not compete with the talent they have now.  They have enough cap room to basically bring in anybody they want.

They have hesitated to make a move because they want to see what happens with the Dwight Howard situation.  If they wait too long, though, they might just lose their point guard.

Some players that the Nets could go after are Josh Smith, Monta Ellis, O.J. Mayo, Andrei Kirilenko and Wilson Chandler.

Josh Smith and the Hawks have a mutual desire to part ways, and Smith has the Nets on his preferred teams list.

Monta Ellis knows how to score, a skill the Nets desperately need in a player.

Andrei Kirilenko and Wilson Chandler are both under contract with teams outside of the United States, but when they return to the NBA, the Nets should look to sign them.

There have been recent rumors that the Nets and Grizzlies have been discussing a trade that would send O.J. Mayo to the Nets.  While it's unclear if this move would definitely lock-up 'D-Will' in Brooklyn, it would be a start.

3. Get Dwight Howard

The number one goal for the Nets is keeping Deron Williams on the team long-term.

The second goal for the Nets is to sign Dwight Howard. 

As this season began, rumors started circulating that the Magic and Nets were working on getting a deal done to send Dwight Howard to play alongside Deron Williams.  The trade was almost completed several times, but each time there was a complication.

Then Brook Lopez, the centerpiece of the players the Nets were going to trade for Howard, broke his foot.  Because of the injury, trade talks halted, and Lopez has not played all season.

Dwight Howard is the best center in basketball, so the Nets' interest in him is obvious.  New Jersey should be willing to give up everybody on their roster not named Deron Williams in order to get Howard. 

If the Nets get Howard, Williams will stay.  Williams called Howard "the most dominant big man in the NBA," and said if there's one player in the entire league he'd like to play with, it's "D-12."

4. Do Something Illegal or Give Him the World

Before anyone starts overreacting, this is meant to be a joke.  Because if the Nets can't do any of aforementioned three things, they will not be able to keep Williams.

Nets' owner Mikhail Prokhorov has a reported net worth of 18 billion dollars.  I think he would be okay if he paid Williams a billion dollars under the table and was left with a net worth of 17 billion.

But seriously, one of the biggest things going for the Nets is their owners: Prokhorov—a Russian billionaire—and Jay-Z.  I am sure that they are already doing it, but these two guys have to pull as many strings as they can to give Deron Williams everything he wants and more.