https://hoopshype.com/2019/02/03/nba-trade-rumors-report-deadline-draft-agents-deal-leak-prepare-move-transaction-lies/Thought this was a pretty cool article. Well not so much an article, but more like a collection of quotes from 9 anonymous agents, and Jordan Mickey's former agent (Matt Babcock) about the trade deadline. Talking about a lot of stuff we're seeing now with leaks to the media, "injuries" around the trade deadline, how agent's might contact teams about trading for their player, etc.
Stuff like this:
Agent 8: “Sometimes, an agent will float out information to scare teams off. For example, an agent may tell a reporter that his client won’t accept a bench role and they’re hoping that may prevent a trade from happening. Agents have to be careful, though. Executives know a lot of these tricks. And now, you have former agents like Bob Myers and Rob Pelinka running teams. You have to be careful because you don’t want to do something that’s going to blow up in your face or hurt your relationship with a front office.”
Matt Babcock: “Certain teams are known to leak information. But I think this is a bigger issue for the teams when they’re dealing with each other. It’s not as much of an issue for the agents who are dealing with the teams. With that said, some agents are known for leaking [BS] and that info getting out is definitely an issue for teams.”
Agent 6: “There are three kind of stories: There are stories floated out by teams, stories floated out by agents and stories floated out there by reporters who just want to put it out there for clicks. The ones that are basically just trade ideas for clicks are frustrating because there may be no substance to the story and it affects the people involved. People forget that there’s a human element here. These players have wives, girlfriends, kids in school. A lot of people read the rumors and believe them, so that’s where you’re causing someone to panic or you’re causing tension. You could affect the player’s performance. It’s one thing if it came from a legitimate source like a team or an agent. The stories I really don’t like are the ones that someone just floats out there and they weren’t able to confirm it with more than one person, but they make it sound like it’s something that could happen in the very near future. You can usually tell those apart [from the credible stories] since it doesn’t match what the teams are saying or make much sense based on everything else you’re hearing, but they’re still frustrating.”
Matt Babcock: “My usual stance is that agents do not have nearly as much power as they say they do; however, in certain trade scenarios, an agent and the player can have a lot of power. For example, Anthony Davis’ situation right now is pretty interesting. He is one of the best players in the world and I think it is safe to say every team in the NBA would add him if given the opportunity. However, it would not make much sense for a team like the Lakers or Celtics to give up significant assets for a player who is a pending free agent without a verbal agreement for an extension from Davis’ agent, Rich Paul. Therefore, Rich and his client have a lot of power and will affect the Pelicans’ trade discussions involving Davis.”
Agent 4: “Everyone is curious about trade rumors, so if a report surfaces and mentions the player’s name, the guy will suddenly get a ton of notifications. Their family and friends will ask about it. Reporters will try to confirm it. Even if the guy tries to tune everything out, some stuff will inevitably leak through. All of this just leads to more anxiety and nervousness as the trade deadline gets closer.”
Another interesting part to think about is how the agents were saying they regularly communicate with the GMs. I wonder if Rich Paul (who represents Marcus Morris) is reguarly communicating with Danny and what their relationship is like, lol.
Topic: Behind-the-scenes look: How NBA agents prepare for trade deadline (Read 746 times)