Agents might not have as much power in the salary-capped world of the NBA as they do in baseball, but they still have plenty to do with the way pro basketball works. Just this week, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge cited the potential influence that agent Jeff Schwartz and his representation of Paul Pierce, Deron Williams and Jason Kidd had on this summer's Nets/Celtics blockbuster trade. Teams with a collection of players (and coaches) who work with the same agency often find themselves reliant on those agents for help when it's time to deal.
The connection between the Knicks and Creative Artists Agency has been well-documented. The Hoops Rumors Agency Database shows five Knicks with CAA. Four of them have Leon Rose as their representative, including Carmelo Anthony, offseason trade acquisition Andrea Bargnani, and J.R. Smith, who re-signed with the team on a three-year deal. Even coach Mike Woodson is a CAA client, at the behest of the team, which reportedly didn't want to deal with his old agents because of a lingering grudge.
The Mavericks also have five players with the same agency, with summer signee Monta Ellis the most significant name among the Relativity Sports Clients in Dallas. Relativity CEO Happy Walters splits the representation of Ellis with Jeff Fried of Peake Management Group, as we learned last week.
Not every collection of players who have the same agency constitutes a power bloc. BDA Management claims Perry Jones III, Andre Roberson and Hasheem Thabeet of the Thunder, but GM Sam Presti probably isn't too concerned with BDA's sphere of influence. Still, plenty of heavy hitters group together, like Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem of the Heat, all of whom are Henry Thomas clients.
I've listed every team with at least three players who have the same agency. In some cases, multiple agencies have groups of three or more on a team. The players are listed with their primary agents in parentheses, where applicable. The list may not be 100% accurate, given the difficulty of finding agency information that's up-to-date for each of the league's 450-some players, but if you spot an error or omission, let us know.
Brooklyn Nets
- Excel Sports Management (4) — Paul Pierce, Tyshawn Taylor, Deron Williams (all Jeff Schwartz) and Mirza Teletovic
- ASM Sports (3) — Andray Blatche (Andy Miller), Reggie Evans, Kevin Garnett
Charlotte Bobcats
- Excel Sports Management (3) — Cody Zeller (Sam Goldfeder), Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Excel Sports Management (3) — Anthony Bennett, Tyler Zeller (both Jeff Schwartz) and Jarrett Jack
Dallas Mavericks
- Relativity Sports (5) — DeJuan Blair, Bernard James, Shane Larkin (all Happy Walters), Shawn Marion (Dan Fegan) and Monta Ellis (Ellis has a joint arrangement with Walters and Jeff Fried of Peake Management Group)
Denver Nuggets
- ASM Sports (3) — J.J. Hickson (Andy Miller), Timofey Mozgov (Justin Zanik) and Andre Miller
- Wasserman Media Group (3) — Kenneth Faried (Thad Foucher), Danilo Gallinari (Arn Tellem), JaVale McGee (B.J. Armstrong)
Detroit Pistons
- Wasserman Media Group (3) — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tony Mitchell (both Thad Foucher) and Kyle Singler (Greg Lawrence)
Houston Rockets
- Relativity Sports (4) — Dwight Howard, Chandler Parsons (both Dan Fegan), Robert Covington and B.J. Young (both Happy Walters)
- Creative Artists Agency (3) — Ronnie Brewer, Aaron Brooks, Omri Casspi
Los Angeles Clippers
- Wasserman Media Group (4) — DeAndre Jordan (Greg Lawrence), J.J. Redick (Arn Tellem), Antawn Jamison, Byron Mullens
- BDA Sports Management (3) — Brandon Davies (Bill Duffy), Darren Collison, Ryan Hollins
Los Angeles Lakers
- Landmark Sports Agency, Inc. (3) — Kobe Bryant (Rob Pelinka), Wesley Johnson, Chris Kaman
Memphis Grizzlies
- Wasserman Media Group (3) — Marc Gasol, Mike Miller, Quincy Pondexter (all Arn Tellem)
Miami Heat
- Creative Artists Agency (3) — Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Dwyane Wade (all Henry Thomas)
Milwaukee Bucks
- Williams & Connolly (3) — John Henson, Zaza Pachulia, Luke Ridnour (all Jim Tanner)
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Relativity Sports (4) — J.J. Barea, Kevin Martin, Ricky Rubio (all Dan Fegan) and Corey Brewer (Happy Walters)
New Orleans Pelicans
- Wasserman Media Group (3) — Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans (both Arn Tellem) and Jeff Withey (Darren Matsubara)
New York Knicks
- Creative Artists Agency (5) — Carmelo Anthony, Andrea Bargnani, Chris Smith, J.R. Smith (all Leon Rose) and C.J. Leslie (Aaron Mintz)
Oklahoma City Thunder
- BDA Management (3) — Perry Jones III, Andre Roberson (both Bill Duffy) and Hasheem Thabeet
- Wasserman Media Group (3) — Steven Adams (Darren Matsubara), Kendrick Perkins (Arn Tellem), Russell Westbrook (Thad Foucher)
Philadelphia 76ers
- ASM Sports (4) — Lavoy Allen, Royce White (both Andy Miller), Nerlens Noel (Noel has a joint agreement with Miller and Frank Catapano of Pro Partner Sports) and James Anderson
Portland Trail Blazers
- Wasserman Media Group (4) — LaMarcus Aldridge, Victor Claver, Robin Lopez (all Arn Tellem) and Dorell Wright (Greg Lawrence)
- Excel Sports Management (3) — Allen Crabbe, C.J. McCollum (both Sam Goldfeder) and Meyers Leonard (Jeff Schwartz)
Utah Jazz
- Priority Sports & Entertainment (3) — Jeremy Evans, Gordon Hayward, Brandon Rush (all Mark Bartelstein)
Washington Wizards
- Relativity Sports (4) — Al Harrington, Nene, John Wall, Martell Webster (all Dan Fegan)
The Hoops Rumors Agency Database was used in the creation of this post.
There are 3 Utah Jazz players listed under “Toronto Raptors” unless there’s been some trade I’m unaware of
Hmm, you’re right! We’ve got it fixed now. Thanks!
–Chuck