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It’s July 1st, Do You Know Where Your Favorite NBA Free Agent Is?

It’s July 1st.  Basketball junkies have been waiting for this day for quite some time.  Their favorite teams can start talking to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh…for the past year, we have been doing all the talking for those teams.  Those three players are getting the most hype out of this ridiculous class of free agents, and they are all represented by the same agency, Creative Artists Agency, for negotiations related to their NBA contracts.  The task of representation is split between Leon Rose and Henry Thomas, and we all know about the variety of others who will make their presence known.

But LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are not the only talented free agents available, and the other players are not represented by CAA.  Let’s take a look at some of the other big agencies and who they will be negotiating on behalf of in this exciting offseason.

  • Wasserman Media Group – Arn Tellem is the primary agent at WMG, but he will have BJ Armstrong, Bob Meyers, Dan Tobin, et al. to help him with finding Joe Johnson, Jermaine O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, and Mike Miller a home.  After LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, Johnson seems to be the name that journalists are focusing on.
  • Priority Sports – Mark Bartelstein is to Priority as Tellem is to WMG, but Bartelstein also has very able agents in Brad Ames and Aaron Mintz.  They will be focusing on David Lee and Brad Miller.  I love to see what David Lee has become in the NBA after not really living up to his expectations at the University of Florida.
  • Immortal Sports – Happy Walters is the owner of the agency now known as Immortal Sports.  His big client for this free agency period is Amare Stoudemire, who along with Boozer, could be interesting pick-ups for a contending team.
  • Landmark Sports Agency – Speaking of Carlos Boozer, he is represented by Rob Pelinka.  Pelinka will also be busy working the phones for Channing Frye.

There are other free agents who will gather interest, including Al Harrington, who is represented by Dan Fegan of Lagardere Unlimited.  And there are also some interesting restricted free agent names.  July should be a fun month.

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.

2 replies on “It’s July 1st, Do You Know Where Your Favorite NBA Free Agent Is?”

Creative Artists Agency will definitely have their hands full in the coming days, and I’m sure they have already. As a die hard fan of the Toronto Craptors its going to make me sad to see Bosh go but maybe it will be for the better. Good luck to the free agents and I wish Bosh a successful career wherever he goes.

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