Nets Have Everything Howard Wants?
There’s no easy answer, as the only evidence we have is anecdotal. But the answer that rings with the most truth is: It depends on the player and what he wants. If (Dwight) Howard wants more global exposure and the opportunity to eclipse whatever money he’d be leaving on the table by leaving Orlando, those opportunities will be there for him if he chooses the Nets and joins Deron Williams in Brooklyn next season.
“In the last eight or nine months, Deron has signed national deals with Audi, Red Bull and Metro PCS,” said Williams’ agent, Jeff Schwartz. “He’s also done a number of regional deals with other companies. Being in a larger market, there’s always more opportunities, and coupled with the fact that the Nets are moving to Brooklyn, there’s going to be a lot of corporate interest in both the team and its star players.”
Though Schwartz declined to quantify Williams’ financial windfall from the new deals he’s received since getting traded to the Nets, there are really two reasons behind the additional exposure: market size and his decision to break ties with his longtime agent, Bob McLaren, and sign with Schwartz, whose New York-based Excel Sports Management has a well-oiled marketing and promotional wing. The operation has offices in Los Angeles, but Schwartz — whose NBA client list is second only to Arn Tellem’s with $171 million in player salaries under his umbrella — moved the headquarters to New York because that’s where the corporate dollars and connections reside.
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