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Contract Negotiation MLB Players MLB Teams

Ariza, Ariza, ¡Ándale!

Contractual negotiations are not all about the final number published by columnists on Yahoo! Sports and ESPN.  In fact, athletes often sign with teams that do not make the largest offer.  For some players, though, an extra million means a lot and they will do whatever it takes to get that extra coin, even if it means leaving your hometown, even if it means leaving a team that could repeat as champions of the league.  But what if that team based in your hometown that has the impressive winning record is willing to pay the same amount of money as every other team?  Do you press your luck?  Do you insult the front office in the process?

Trevor Ariza is a great defender.  He showed his skill throughout the 2009 NBA Playoffs.  I can distinctly remember many pivotal steals that helped the Lakers bring a championship back to L.A.  Unfortunately for Ariza, he and his agent refused a deal in the offseason from the Lakers and Ariza is now stuck in Houston, receiving roughly the same amount he would have made in a new deal with Los Angeles.  On the flip side, Artest gets out of Houston, which has many problems to overcome.  Will Yao Ming ever play again?  When is the last time Tracy McGrady had an impact outside of cheering on the bench?  These are now concerns for Ariza and his agent, David Lee, who once felt he had the strong hand in negotiations with the Lakers.

Los Angeles is abuzz over Kobe + Artest.  Kobe has a buddy in Artest, who can give him more of a break on defense.  Additionally, Kobe no longer has to worry about Artest covering him with his smothering defense in any pivotal games.  Los Angeles may miss Ariza, but probably no where near the amount that Ariza will miss L.A.

Maybe Ariza will be happy in his new role with the Rockets.  He should receive more playing time and will be relied on much more than he was with the Lakers.  Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has a different take:

He’s a good player, but he’ll never be a star elsewhere. He’ll just be another player on another team.

Then again, players move around all the time in the NBA.  If Ariza is not happy in Houston in a year or two, I am sure we will hear trade rumors involving the Suns or Warriors (for some reason I feel as though I always hear those two teams come up in trade rumors).  Or he could drop his verbal commitment to the rockets and sign with the Cavaliers…at least Mo Williams thinks that is what Ariza once thought until he said this.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.