Jaylen Brown has been one of the more interesting cases heading into the 2016 draft. The freshman from Cal, who is a projected top-10 pick, attended the combine in Chicago and has garnered interest from teams at the front end of the draft but has not hired an agent.
It appears Brown will enter the draft, but will not hire an agent, instead opting to be represented by NBPA attorney Ron Klempner. While he will not hire an agent for negotiations with teams, the 6-7 forward will employ one when working out deals with sneaker companies. The move will save him anywhere from $150,000-$300,000 depending on where he is drafted.
Brown is not the first big-time prospect to enter the draft without agent representation. Back in the day, Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, Hedo Turkoglu and Grant Hill hired a lawyer who billed them per hour instead of taking commission.
The Vertical has more:
NBA Hall of Famer and New York Liberty general manager Isiah Thomas has been a close adviser and mentor to Brown, league sources said.
NBPA attorney Ron Klempner is expected to work closely with Brown on his representation needs, sources said.
There’s little, if any, room for negotiation in rookie contracts, and Brown wants to take time to learn the industry before eventually committing to an agent, sources said. The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement has slotted salaries for first-round draft picks, although many agents don’t take commissions on those first deals for high-level players.
But some agents do, and Brown could save between $300,000 as the No. 3 overall pick to $150,000 at No. 8 on commission fees over the four years of the contract.
Sources w/ @BobbyMarks42: Cal's Jaylen Brown – potential Top 5 pick – won't sign with agent. Brown using NBPA to advise him on rookie deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 19, 2016
Jaylen Brown will use a traditional NBA agent on shoe endorsement deal, league sources tell @TheVertical. Story soon explaining his choice.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 19, 2016
