To some NBA agents, the media is a buffer between their client and an NBA organization, especially during free agency. Media’s role in NBA trade rumors, for instance, could create some soft-served tension that rushes a team toward an executive decision. Is there really any benefit to this conduct? In late-July, 12 NBA “secret agents” weighed in on that question.
Despite the feeding frenzy mentality of the media, it, at times, plays the good guy. Almost 84-percent of NBA agents in the HoopsHype interview claimed that leaking information may “create false leverage with a team that they’re negotiating with.” On the other hand, a few NBA agents choose to not frolic with the media. The reason? Agent 12 narrowed it down to trust by saying, “…a leak can be bad because then the people in competition with you have access to information that helps them.”
One source that most NBA agents can trust is Adrian Wojnarowski. An NBA insider for Yahoo Sports, Woj is the Bob Woodward of reporting – he’s resilient, persistent and, above all else, respected. As evidence, use Woj’s work ethic on then-Clippers PG Jamal Crawford. Not only did Woj limit his speculation, but he did so by referring to Crawford’s agent, Andy Miller.
At the end of the day, it’s reduced to trust. Everyone involved – whether it’s about restructured contracts or trade rumors – is driven by perception. If there are ongoing remarks by an NBA agent concerning his client’s future with any NBA team, then that’s a problem. One of the interviewed agents ended on sage advice: “You obviously don’t want teams to view you as this untrustworthy, unprofessional guy who leaks everything.”