La Salle junior forward B.J. Johnson announced Thursday that he will declare for the NBA draft, but won’t hire an agent.
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Jarrett Allen, the 6-foot-11 freshman forward from the University of Texas will declare himself eligible for the 2017 NBA draft but does not plan to hire an agent per a press release from the school. “I want everyone to know that I am testing the waters with this decision, but I will not be signing with an agent,” Allen said. “Going through this process will allow my family and I to make the best decision possible for my future.
Louisville forward Jaylen Johnson plans to enter the NBA draft but not hire representation, leaving open the possibility of returning to college for his senior year, U of L coach Rick Pitino said Wednesday.
Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell says he will "test the waters" and enter the NBA draft pool but not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning to the Cardinals for his junior season.
Bacon intends on hiring an agent with the help of his coaches after the Final Four, putting any avenue of returning to school out of question.
Former Virginia forward and Memphis star Austin Nichols is declaring for the NBA Draft and will sign with an agent, he told Scout on Tuesday. “First of all I just want to thank the University of Virginia and everything they’ve done for me,” Nichols said. “I left on sort of a bad note, but I learned a lot and I grew a lot at Virginia. I have decided to declare for the NBA Draft and I’m going to be signing with Aaron Turner.”
Jeff Goodman: Wake Forest's John Collins, considered a likely first round pick, will test the NBA waters, but will not sign with an agent, sources told ESPN.
Jorge Sierra: Villanova guard Josh Hart has signed with Roc Nation Sports. pic.twitter.com/SUY31OUdTf
Jon Rothstein: Syracuse's Tyler Lydon will sign with an agent and enter the 2017 NBA Draft, per multiple sources.
Adam Zagoria: Updated Tyler Lydon Story; he hasn't signed w/ agent yet http://bit.ly/2mJf44D via @adamzagoria
Marc Stein: Bill Duffy and BDA Sports have signed Slovenian teen sensation Luka Doncic to represent the Real Madrid star, according to league sources. The 6-7 Luka Doncic, still just 17, isn't eligible for this June's NBA Draft but is widely projected to be selected No. 1 overall in 2018.
Emiliano Carchia: Emmanuel Mudiay is changing agency and will now be represented by Wasserman, a source told Sportando
Restricted free agent forward/guard Allen Crabbe has signed with CAA Sports agents Aaron Mintz, Ty Sullivan and Mike Tellem. He was formerly represented by Excel Sports Management.
A year after having two first-round picks in the NBA Draft, Excel Sports Management made a significant jump in '16, as they led all agencies by representing six first-round picks. Their total was helped by the fact that Excel has a partnership with Belgrade-based BeoBasket in which they represent their players in the U.S. Meanwhile, a year after leading the draft in representation, CAA Sports represented four players in the first round, followed by ASM Sports with three. Klutch Sports Management represented two first-round players, including No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons. Landmark Sports, Wasserman, Independent Sports & Entertainment and Roc Nation Sports also represented two players apiece. Cal F Jaylen Brown decided to enter the draft without representation. The following lists the full first round.
Shortly after the college basketball season had ended this spring, Neil Olshey had targeted his player for the 2016 NBA Draft: Jake Layman, a sharp shooting wing from Maryland who could defend and play multiple positions. “Neil and I have been talking about Jake for the past two months,’’ agent Mark Bartelstein said. “He was a guy Neil really targeted. He told me if he could trade into the second round, he was a guy they would really go after.’’
Projected lottery pick Marquese Chriss has agreed to terms on a multiyear footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Nike, sources told The Vertical. The deal was negotiated by agent Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports.
Brown, a one-and-done wing who played at California, has made the rare move to enter the NBA draft without hiring a primary agent to handle his team negotiations. He is leaning on the National Basketball Players Association for advice and assistance during his predraft preparations. He did, however, look to agent Aaron Goodwin to negotiate his shoe deal. Goodwin has long been viewed as a marquee agent for shoe deals, having negotiated some of the most lucrative endorsement contracts in the industry, including LeBron James’ and Kevin Durant's rookie shoe deals with Nike, and Dwight Howard and Damian Lillard's signature shoe deals with adidas.
Emiliano Carchia: Latvian big-man Ilja Gromovs has signed with agent Chris Patrick of Relativity Sports. He'll start working out for NBA teams this week
Indiana junior forward Troy Williams will remain in the NBA Draft and sign with agent Stephen Pina of ASM Sports, sources confirmed to SNY.tv. The 6-foot-7 Williams averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds last season at Indiana. He is currently projected as the No. 48 pick in 2017 by DraftExpress.com.
Jeff Goodman: Indiana’s Troy Williams is signing with Andy Miller’s agency (ASM), sources told ESPN. His departure was first reported by @Gregg Doyel
Michael Scotto: Isaiah Whitehead will remain in the NBA draft and sign with agents Andy Miller and Stephen Pina of ASM Sports, per league sources.
Jeff Goodman: Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead will remain in the NBA Draft. Confirmed by his agent, Andy Miller. “We are extremely excited to add Isaiah.”
New Jersey native Malachi Richardson is one of the hottest prospects in the lead-up to the NBA Draft. The Syracuse guards stock was so high that he recently signed an agent and will officially be leaving Syracuse for the league and some project him as high as a lottery pick.
Jeff Goodman: Syracuse freshman Malachi Richardson told ESPN he has signed with Andy Miller. College career is over.
Keith Pompey: #Cuse G Malachi Richardson to sign agent Stephen Pina of ASM, according to source. He's definitely staying in draft. https://t.co/TFr9JfzPFr
Adam Zagoria: Cheick Diallo will sign with an agent on Monday, source tells @SNYtv. Really helped himself this week.
Hoops Rumors: Agents Matt Babcock and Adie von Gontard of APAA Sports Group have signed former Texas Longhorn Cameron Ridley, @HoopsRumors has learned.
Maryland forward Robert Carter Jr. has signed with Life Sports Management in preparation for the NBA draft in June, according to a tweet from CBS Sports’s Jon Rothstein.
Jon Rothstein: Former Maryland big man Robert Carter told @CBSSports that he's signed with Life Sports Management.
Keith Kreiter: Proud to announce Yogi Ferrell, All-American PG & the all-time assist leader at IU, has joined the #EdgeFamily- btn.com/2016/03/06/wat…
Jeff Goodman: Former Indiana standout Yogi Ferrell has signed with Keith Kreiter of Edge Sports International.
Jeff Goodman: Former St. John's big man Chris Obekpa, who sat out last season at UNLV, has signed with agent Aaron Turner. College career is over.
Wooden Award Winner Buddy Hield of Oklahoma has signed with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, who will do both contract & marketing, according to a source. The signing could mean two lottery picks for Pelinka, who already signed Washington's Marquese Chriss. Pelinka, who represented Kobe Bryant, also counts James Harden as a client.
Marc J. Spears: LA-Lafayette 6-10 F Shawn Long signed with agent Colin Bryant (Max Deal Sports). Sun Belt Student Athlete of Year. Avg. 18.9 ppg., 12.1 rpg.
Jorge Sierra: Domantas Sabonis has signed with agent Greg Lawrence of Wasserman. shar.es/1j8WLE
Liz Mullen: Gonzaga F Domantas Sabonis has signed with @wasserman for representation in the NBA draft. Greg Lawrence & Jason Ranne will co-rep him.
Per a press release from the company, Wasserman today announced the signing of two NBA Draft prospects – Georges Niang and Stephen Zimmerman. Niang will be represented by agents Thad Foucher and Makhtar Ndiaye and Zimmerman by agent Darren ‘Mats’ Matsubara. Both have signed with Wasserman for representation in all areas.
Power forward Guerschon Yabusele will enter the draft, agent Andrew Morrison told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The 6’8” French native is considered a second-round prospect by ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board has him at No. 45 overall.
Shams Charania: Xavier junior Jalen Reynolds has decided to remain in the 2016 NBA draft and has hired agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier of Athlete Management Group. Reynolds, a 6-foot-10 forward, averaged 9.6 points and 6.5 rebounds in 34 games this season. Reynolds, 23, is ranked by DraftExpress as the No. 21 junior in the country.
Jeff Goodman: Former UConn wing Daniel Hamilton has signed with Sam Goldfeder of Excel.
YouFirstBasket: We are glad to announce that @ThiasLsf has decided to enter his name in the 2016 @NBADraft #YouFirstClient Good Luck
Jeff Goodman: Former Wichita State guard Ron Baker told ESPN he has signed with Aaron Mintz of CAA.
Jeff Goodman: Skal Labissiere has signed with Travis King of Relativity, sources told ESPN.
Jeff Goodman: Damian Jones heading to NBA and will sign with Austin Brown of CAA, sources told ESPN.
Michael Scotto: Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame) will sign with Priority Sports, a league source tells Sheridan Hoops.
David 'Dubi' Pick: Kentucky guard Jamal Murray, source said, leaning toward Excel Sports for NBA representation.
Boise State junior James Webb III has hired an agent after declaring for the NBA draft last month. Webb hired agent Charles Briscoe of Briscoe Sports Management on Wednesday night, which means he will not be eligible to return to Boise State. Webb did not hire an agent immediately when he initially declared for the draft March 27.
Liz Mullen: Brandon Ingram, Duke F and top NBA Draft prospect, has signed with agent Jeff Schwartz of @excelsm for representation on and off the court.
Marc J. Spears: Ex-Michigan Star star Denzel Valentine tells @espn @TheUndefeated he is signing with @Wasserman agent B.J. Armstrong https://t.co/W8aCPL3Cfl
Steve Kyler: Baylor forward Taurean Prince has signed with Aaron Turner of Verus Management https://t.co/OA1kck1X6G
Caris LeVert: Blessings on blessings.. Officially joined the @RocNation fam! Excited about the next chapter
Seth Cohen: Proud to officially be chosen to rep @_jameskelly24 James Kelly of Marshall University. Work begins now. #Verus
Jon Rothstein: West Virginia's Devin Williams has not signed with agent but plans to do so, sources told @CBSSports.
There will be a college prospect in the next few weeks who will declare for the draft, and the move will have you scratching your head. The first question you will ask yourself is, “Why would he put his name in?” The second: “Did he hire an agent?” If the player hired an agent then there could be a backdoor deal between a team and the agent; if not, then the player likely has been given bad advice.
Once a team makes a guarantee to an agent, the process of “shutting down” commences. Similar to the witness protection program, the agent, player and team agree that the player will go into hiding for the next two months. The player will not have any draft workouts, no medical information will be shared and the player will not visit teams for interviews. Usually a mysterious injury creeps in to disguise the side deal. From a team standpoint, it is business as usual on how it conducts the process of bringing in players to work out and interview.
There are circumstances, however, when a team with a late lottery pick will guarantee a prospect who will be drafted in the top five. In that type of situation, the player will continue to work out for teams in the early part of the lottery. That type of arrangement is called the “soft promise” and there is a clear understanding between team and agent that the player will likely be drafted before it picks.
Jon Rothstein: Vanderbilt's Wade Baldwin will declare for the 2016 NBA Draft and sign with an agent, sources told @CBSSports.
LSU junior guard Tim Quarterman will declare for the 2016 NBA draft and hire an agent, league sources told The Vertical.
Quarterman, a 6-foot-6 point guard, is expected to sign with professional representation on Monday and forgo his right to return to LSU before the May 25 deadline, sources said.
Boise State junior James Webb III will declare for the 2016 NBA draft, league sources told The Vertical. Webb won’t immediately hire an agent, but plans to do so as the predraft process progresses, sources said. Webb is among a flood of players vying to be selected in this year’s draft while maintaining flexibility with their representation decision.
Zimmerman, 19, plans to sign with an agent and eliminate the opportunity to withdraw and return to college basketball before the NCAA's May 25 deadline, sources said.
Joshua Adams: Extremely happy to join & proud to announce that I've signed and joined the BDA family. Thank you to everyone who has believed and supported
Dave McMenamin: LSU freshman sensation Ben Simmons is currently in Cleveland with agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, a league source told ESPN.com. No word whether Paul has finalized a deal to represent Simmons yet, however.
Jorge Sierra: Georgia State's Kevin Ware has signed with Mansfield Sports Agency. Averaged 11.6 ppg in his second season following terrible injury.
LSU freshman star Ben Simmons, a possible No. 1 overall NBA draft pick, plans to sign with the LeBron James-funded Klutch Sports agency for his pro representation, league sources told The Vertical. Rich Paul of Klutch Sports will serve as Simmons' agent.
Within the basketball industry, it has been understood that Klutch has been the only real pro representation that Simmons has considered. Simmons, a native of Australia, has been the subject of a serious courtship by James, Paul and Klutch Sports since attending the LeBron James Skills Academy in 2014.
