Lonzo Ball, UCLA: Any agent he hires is going to have to navigate the tight waters between NBA teams and his outspoken dad, LaVar Ball. The consensus among agents, and pretty much as expressed by LaVar Ball, is that Ball will hire an attorney — a source said that would be Harrison Gaines of SLASH Sports — strictly for contracts and let his father do the negotiating otherwise. There’s some risk to that, and Ball would be wise to ensure he has an NBA-level pre-draft program in place.
More on Draft Agents
Jeff Goodman: Fox has signed with Happy Walters. Not sure on Monk yet.
Markelle Fultz, Washington: There are, of course, several agents in the mix for Fultz, who could very well be the No. 1 pick this year. But the name that has come up most often is Raymond Brothers, a respected veteran who has mostly older clients, including Zach Randolph and Tony Allen.
Josh Jackson, Kansas: Jackson has been getting a lot of buzz as a potential No. 1 lately, especially if a team that doesn’t need a point guard lands with the top pick. Darren Matsubara of Wasserman Sports is a candidate, as well as LeBron James’ agent, Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul.
Malik Monk, Kentucky: Mike George of Excel is a former AAU coach who is one of the main cogs behind the development of big-time Canadian basketball, including players like Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and Tyler Ennis. But he jumped into the agent’s game four years ago, and is poised to land Monk, a probable lottery pick, this year.
Lauri Markkanen, Arizona: The big Finn impressed as a potential stretch-center, and he is a probable lottery pick should he come out. Michael Lelchitski, who mostly represents international players, including Alex Len, is said to be likely to represent Markkanen.
USC forward Bennie Boatwright has declared for the NBA draft, he said on Wednesday. Boatwright said he will not hire an agent, meaning he will have the option to return to USC.
Michael Scotto: Jawun Evans has chosen to be represented by ASM Sports, league sources told Basketball Insiders. He's a projected first-round draft pick.
Creighton freshman Justin Patton, a possible lottery selection, plans to enter the 2017 NBA draft and sign with an agent, league sources told The Vertical. Patton, 19, will formally announce the decision this week
There are, of course, several agents in the mix for Fultz, who could very well be the No. 1 pick this year. But the name that has come up most often is Raymond Brothers, a respected veteran who has mostly older clients, including Zach Randolph and Tony Allen.
Jackson has been getting a lot of buzz as a potential No. 1 lately, especially if a team that doesn’t need a point guard lands with the top pick. Darren Matsubara of Wasserman Sports is a candidate, as well as LeBron James’ agent, Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul.
Tatum has an outside shot at winding up the No. 1 pick, which could be good news for Jeff Wechsler of 24/7 Sports. Wechsler represented Larry Hughes during his career, and Hughes is Tatum’s godfather. It’s rumored that Tatum could wind up with Wechsler, who has another No. 1 pick, Kyrie Irving, on his roster and is also in the mix for Bam Adebayo of Kentucky.
Adam Zagoria: UCLA's TJ Leaf will declare for the Draft with the intention of signing with an agent, he tells me.
Oklahoma State junior Jeffrey Carroll announced Friday he would test the NBA waters but left open the possibility of returning to school.
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men could be starting next season without one of their best players. Junior forward Kerem Kanter said on Friday that he plans to declare for the NBA draft this summer. He will not hire a representative or an agent.
On Thursday afternoon, freshman guard Jashaun Agosto informed College Court Report that he had officially declared for the 2017 NBA Draft.
Corey Sanders announced that he is entering his name into the NBA Draft while keeping his options open for a possible return to Rutgers. "After talking to my family and my coaches I have decided to declare for the 2017 NBA Draft without signing with an agent leaving my option to return to Rutgers open,'' the Scarlet Knights sophomore point guard wrote.
La Salle junior forward B.J. Johnson announced Thursday that he will declare for the NBA draft, but won't hire an agent.
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
