Storyline: Agent Changes

307 rumors in this storyline

Kyrie Irving switching agents

1 week ago – via ESPN
Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving is changing representation and expected to partner with Roc Nation Sports, league sources told ESPN. Irving parted ways with longtime agent Jeff Wechsler on Wednesday, clearing the way for him to ultimately work with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation prior to the start of free agency on June 30, sources said.

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2 months ago – via Lonzo Wire

While the fiasco surrounding Big Baller Brand and Alan Foster, Lonzo Ball has endured plenty of emotional turmoil in the recent month. Forced to sever ties with the co-founder of the company, Ball has since sued Foster and begun moving on from the company and Foster himself. During his exit interview on Wednesday, Ball discussed publicly the situation for the first time. “We just put so much trust in him. So, when that came out in October – like I said, he’s like my second dad – I just talked to him and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it when he gave me his story. Looking back at it, obviously I wish we would have jumped on it back in October. But I’m glad we still caught it.”
2 months ago – via ESPN

Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball has committed to work with Creative Artists Agency after mutually parting ways with his previous agent, Harrison Gaines, last week. “After thinking about this decision over the last few weeks, I concluded that CAA made the most sense for my career both on and off the court,” Ball told ESPN in a statement Monday. “With CAA now in place to manage my basketball career, I can focus my attention and energy on training for the upcoming season.”
2 months ago – via ESPN

Ball said he talked with several different agencies as he rethought his business affairs after severing ties and suing former Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster for damages of at least $2 million. Ball insisted that Gaines had supported him through the situation with Foster and the decision to part ways was unrelated. Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, has had discussions with CAA and other agencies as well, according to industry sources, but it remains unclear how he, his younger sons LiAngelo and LaMelo, and Big Baller Brand will move forward.
3 months ago – via Sports Agent Blog

Why did you and Lonzo Ball agree to part ways now? Does it have anything to do with the issues the family has with Alan Foster? Harrison Gaines: No, it does not. As I said in my statement two weeks ago, my interaction with Alan Foster was limited. Anybody around the situation knows I was completely distant from anything Big Baller Brand related. I love Lonzo like a brother; our decision to part ways had nothing to do with our relationship. It was solely based on his family’s new direction/expectations and my own personal growth moving forward.
3 months ago – via Sports Agent Blog

Were you actually ever part of a Ball Sports Group agency or did you independently run your own agency? People have been asking whether Lonzo had any equity in your agency or whether he received a piece of your commissions. Can you clear the air on that? Harrison Gaines: No, the Ball Sports Group was an agency in theory. Lavar and Alan Foster did not want the public to think the brothers were represented by an outside entity. Therefore, I agreed to hold Ball Sports Group out in reference to the brothers.
7 months ago – via New York Daily News

Ahead of his free agency, Burke switched agents last month from Toronto-based Mike George to Sam Permut of New York-based Roc Nation. “Timing was very, very important for me,” Burke said. “It was already something I was kind of thinking about doing but a lot of people may look at it and think that my past agent Mike George that he wasn’t doing his job but that wasn’t the case at all. “I just believe what I’m looking for in my career and where I’m trying to go, I feel like Roc Nation was a better fit for me, if that makes sense. Obviously being here in New York, Mike being in Toronto, I just felt like it made more sense. It wasn’t an easy decision. I think a lot of people look at it like he fired his agent. That’s one of the hardest things to do especially when you have a good relationship with your agent so I just think it’s the best fit for me and it’s a decision I wanted to make for my career. I knew if I wanted to make it I knew I didn’t want it to prolong throughout the season and be something on my mind. I wanted to get it done right then and there.”
8 months ago – via Orange County Register

Insiders think that’s what Davis is doing, with the firing of agent Thad Foucher and hiring of Rich Paul, LeBron’s close friend and agent, all about the possibility of going to the Lakers. “Why else did AD do it?” asks an East GM. “Things are going great for him. The team is going good. He got the Derrick Rose extension [a five-year $150 million deal that each team is allowed to offer one player on his rookie contract.] “It’s not because of race. Thad Foucher is an Afro-American. It’s not because of agency. Thad Foucher is from the Wasserman Group and has Russell Westbrook. So why did he do it?”
11 months ago – via New York Post

The size of the contract with the two team options is not the reason for the switch. Robinson was selected in the second round at No. 36. According to sources, those closest to Robinson thought he had a better shot at becoming a late first-round pick — with more guaranteed money — if the pre-draft process was conducted smoother and smarter. The day before the Draft Combine, Robinson’s reps decided to pull him out. Robinson, according to sources, believed that was a mistake. “He had trained two months just for the combine and he was ready for it,’’ one source said.
1 year ago – via Houston Chronicle

Harden had been represented by Rob Pelinka until Pelinka became the general manager of the Lakers. Harden remained affiliated with Pelinka’s agency, Landmark Sports, but said he is no longer with Landmark. “I wouldn’t call her my agent,” Harden said of his mother’s role. “She’s somebody that helps me, obviously. It’s work, but I would call it her being my mom like any other mom would. It’s life, whether it’s personal problems or business problems.”
1 year ago – via New York Times

A special commission formed by Emmert to review college basketball and its persistent corruption is expected to make recommendations Wednesday that will address the one-and done rule. But it is not expected to change anytime soon, and Bazley is already making plans for a pro career. He has hired an agent: Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, a fellow Ohioan who represents the N.B.A. stars LeBron James, Ben Simmons and J.R. Smith. Paul declined to comment for this story, and Bazley’s mother, Lynnita Bazley, declined to make him available as well.
1 year ago – via ESPN

Kanter, who announced last month that he was hiring Mark Bartelstein as his new agent, has an $18 million player option this summer. It seems likely that Kanter will exercise the option, but opposing executives have come away with the impression that he was leaning toward opting out, presumably to pursue a multi-year contract. The executives referenced above drew those conclusions before Kanter hired Bartelstein, who, along with Mevlut ‘Hilmi’ Cinar, Kanter’s manager, will help guide the 25-year-old through his decision.
1 year ago – via New York Post

Kanter is switching to agent Mark Bartelstein and mulling not picking up next season’s $18.6 million player option, but claims he won’t make a business decision to sit the final four games. “You’re always thinking the business part, but for me basketball comes first,” Kanter said. “We’ve got four games left and the Knicks are still paying me. The Knicks are paying for me to go out there and — if I’m healthy — to go out there to play. So if I feel really good, I’ll go out there and play.
2 years ago – via Bleacher Report

Changing agents is nothing new in the NBA, especially for Jordan, who had employed three different agencies to represent him in contract negotiations in his first seven seasons. When DeAndre Jordan fired Dan Fegan in 2015, whose cozy relationship with Mavs owner Mark Cuban cast a shadow over the initial decision to sign with Dallas, Jordan was required by players association rules to wait 15 days to hire a new one. “He was deciding between Jeff [Schwartz] and Rich Paul,” a person familiar with Jordan’s thinking told Bleacher Report. “I had heard back then that he was 100 percent signing with Jeff.”
2 years ago – via Forbes.com

It is not yet known what some of Miller’s more high profile clients such as Kyle Lowly, Serge Ibaka and Kristaps Porzingis will do. However, Myles Turner appears to feel comfortable with Miller continuing to represent his interests. “I talk to [Miller] every day. Keeping me updated on everything. Telling me you’re going hear stuff. People are going to want me to go here. People are going to want me to jump ship, but Andy’s my guy, man. I’m not going nowhere,” said Turner.
2 years ago – via ESPN

In the wake of the FBI corruption probe that has shaken the college basketball world this week, multiple clients have severed ties with Andy Miller, one of the NBA’s most prominent agents, and another has filed a $13.5 million arbitration claim, alleging he was defrauded, league sources told ESPN. Los Angeles Clippers center Willie Reed filed the claim in part because of Christian Dawkins, one of the 10 people arrested on federal corruption charges on Tuesday. Dawkins was reportedly terminated by Miller and his company, ASM, in early May following a National Basketball Players Association probe into the unauthorized use of a player’s personal credit card.
2 years ago – via Toronto Star

Wiggins no longer has an agent, not after firing one of the league’s most respected ones, Bill Duffy, after he negotiated a five-year extension in which the Wolves gave Wiggins all they could by NBA rules. Wiggins said Friday he’s not certain if he will hire another agent again. Instead, he has a manager, a lawyer and the experience of his parents, both of whom were professional athletes. “It’s not as hard as you think,” Wiggins said. “Me and Bill, we were good. It was nothing against him at all. It was more about a business point of view from my end. I wish him all the best of luck, I wish his agency the best of luck because they did nothing but good on my side.”
2 years ago – via NBA.com

The process has been muddled by Wiggins’ decision to part with agent Bill Duffy and BDA Sports in August. Players change agents all of the time, but the fact that this move came with a megadeal on the verge of agreement made it a little unique. The ensuing confusion pushed negotiations back and Duffy is taking steps to ensure he receives a commission on the deal, given his significant role in shaping it. “Me and Bill, we were good. Nothing against him at all,” Wiggins said. “It was more from a business point of view from my end. They did nothing but good by my side. I’ve got nothing but positive words for them. I’m just taking it day by day.”
2 years ago – via Sports Illustrated

Howard is considering suing some of his former associates, but he is not ready to divulge names or make public allegations. He is rehiring Aaron Goodwin, his original agent, because he appreciates Goodwin’s blunt honesty in addition to his deft marketing. Goodwin agreed to return after Deebo downsized his unwieldy circle. The revamped crew includes Justin Zormelo, skills coach to John Wall, and Ed Downs, personal trainer for Chris Bosh. The first time Downs dug his hands into Howard’s hips, the 265 pounder nearly leaped off the massage table. “He was so tight,” Downs says, “so stiff.” Anyone who watched Howard over the past five years has seen what Downs felt. The prescription, instead of more 100-pound dumbbell presses, was band work and deep-tissue massage, with flexibility and balance training.
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June 20, 2019 | 7:43 pm EDT Update
June 20, 2019 | 7:31 pm EDT Update
18 mins ago – via wojespn

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Storyline: Anthony Davis to Lakers