You know how Jerry McGuire’s mentor told him that the business is all about personal relationships? I suppose that the personal relationship between Seattle Supersonics forward, Rashard Lewis, and his agent, Tony Dutt, is not very strong anymore. I have such a thought because Tony Dutt cost his client the ability to void the final 2 years of his contract, which would have given him the ability to become a free agent this off-season [Report: Sonics F Lewis may not be free agent].
Rashard Lewis definitely had the opportunity to become a free agent if he wanted to, and it seems as though there was a good possibility that his future involved exploring such an option. The problem is that his agent did not declare this intention by the deadline (the Sonics last game). There was also a 5 day window in case one forgets. Lewis will still earn a nice salary over the next 2 years ($21 million total), but could have been making $24 million+ if he tested the market.
Oh wait, just kidding! Countless credible newspapers and blogs across the country are missing a huge point. Yahoo! Sports even reported it and could not put the pieces together.
“He had to declare his intentions in writing, delivering it personally or by registered mail on the later day of Seattle’s last game or June 1, with a five-day window.
Dutt reportedly informed the SuperSonics of Lewis’ decision on May 25 or 26. The team’s season ended April 18.” (who cares?)
Tony Dutt followed the rules. He got the request in before June 1st and did not even have to use the 5 day window. The Knicks have already made him their top free-agent priority [Free-Agent Lewis Loves N.Y.]. Even the Sonics understand that Lewis is a free-agent, so what’s the problem?
Everyone calm down, stop ratting on Tony Dutt, and realize that Rashard Lewis is still a prime piece of meat that will get his fair raise and will probably play on a team other than the Seattle Supersonics next year.
-Darren Heitner
5 replies on “Rashard Lewis Can Do Whatever He Wants”
[…] • Mike Conley thinks he’s name-dropped in a new hip-hop song. We’re not so sure. [Bad Idea Blue Jeans] • Latrell Sprewell’s lawsuit against the New York Post is thrown out of court. [Law.com] • About that Michael Barrett trade. [Rumors And Rants] • Who has the easiest college football schedule? [Kermit The Blog] • Back off Rashard Lewis’ agent. [I Want To Be A Sports Agent] […]
[…] I reported that Rashard Lewis may not be a free agent this summer and Bill Ingram and Darren Heitner did a great job of squashing that rumor. How does Vescey hold onto his gig at NBA TV and the New […]
Great post, Darren. There is no doubt that you are already one of the most hardworking, intelligent agents in the industry. Your posts are always very on point, and you do an admirable job at addressing the key issues in each situation. Your ahead of the game in this respect. My only worry is that the agent industry is rather unethical and not usually based on the merits. Does Vescey have any common sense? I’m never a hater, but there are some pretty dumb people running teams, writing about hoops and functioning as agents. Sign Calathes.
Thanks for the comments Jordan. You have definitely been a great contributor to the comments on this blog for a long time now and I hope that you continue in that role. Ethics in this industry are suspect at many times, but hopefully it will only affect us marginally if at all. Vescey screwed up, but it happens. Someone needs to tell Calathes about Dynasty. I don’t want to break any rules recruiting current collegiate athletes. 🙂
Darren, I’m sure you’ve mentioned this in other articles but I was wondering if you could clarify the rules for talking to college athletes. Do the rules change depending on the sport? When is the normal time to start recruiting players? I appreciate all of the insight, thanks.