3:08pm: Elfus tells Fischer that he has “stepped back from off-the-court negotiations” for Leonard but says no other change has taken place (Twitter link).
3:06pm: Elfus tells USA Today’s Sam Amick that the initial report was “unfounded” and that he remains an Impact Sports Management client (Twitter link). That leaves it unclear whether Elfus will continue as Leonard’s primary agent, but it nonetheless appears as though the same company will continue to represent the Spurs star.
2:56pm: Leonard remains with Impact Sports Management, and the change is simply a matter of who does what for Leonard within the agency, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com clarifies (Twitter link).
2:42pm: Kawhi Leonard has parted with agent Brian Elfus of Impact Sports Management, a league source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link). The reason for the split is unclear, as Leonard signed a five-year contract for the maximum salary with the Spurs just this past July.
Players are normally the catalysts for agent changes, since the representatives work for them, though sometimes agents make the decision to end the relationship. A change of agents sometimes has more to do with off-court endorsement deals than with NBA contracts, though Leonard has long shied from the spotlight and has been reluctant to promote himself in commercials.
In any case, Elfus will continue to receive a commission on the deal Leonard signed this summer, which is worth precisely $94,343,129. The typical NBA agent commission would give him 4% of that amount, though sometimes agents waive their fees to maintain relationships with particularly valuable clients.
The agent will get $160k for one year commission
756k actually