Deron Williams, Joe Johnson not mentioned in Nets' letter to fans

Two of the Brooklyn Nets' "Big 3" were conspicuously absent from a letter sent out to season-ticket holders and sponsors recently. And while the omission of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson sent a curious message, it was equally intriguing that the letter was written by the team's general manager, Billy King, and CEO, Brett Yormark.

Cue Law & Order sound effect.

King and Yormark stated in the letter, obtained by the New York Post's Marc Berman, that they visited team owner Mikhail Prokhorov in Russia two weeks ago to "discuss the state of the team."

Here are some key takeaways:

• The team is committed to re-signing one-time All-Star center Brook Lopez and bringing back veteran forward Thaddeus Young.
• They plan to "build on our emerging young core," referencing Mason Plumlee, Bojan Bogdanovic, Markel Brown, and Sergey Karasev.
• They would like to purchase another draft pick (they currently own Nos. 29 and 41 in this year's draft).
• The franchise is "100 percent dedicated to delivering a winning product on the court."

If the peculiar exclusion of Williams and Johnson reminds you of LeBron James's now infamous "I'm coming home" letter, you're probably not alone. Although James's message to the world was predominantly positive, his omission of Cleveland's No. 1 pick, Andrew Wiggins, was construed as James's desire to swap the prized rookie for Kevin Love.

With Prokhorov's five-year plan now having reached its expiration date, it's possible that the team realized it must shed Williams's and Johnson's massive contracts in order to rebuild and move toward a promising future.

Johnson is owed approximately $25 million next season, and will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the summer of 2016. Williams is set to earn about $43 million over the next two seasons and will become a UFA in 2017.