Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plans to behave as his personal agent going ahead. That is excellent news for the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.
Chris Haynes reported that the Thunder star is leaving his previous administration in favor of representing himself in contract negotiations. It is an uncommon transfer for an NBA celebrity, however one which is sensible given Gilgeous-Alexander’s state of affairs.
This summer season, SGA can signal a four-year extension to his present five-year contract, which runs via the 2026-27 season. It will be value $294.3M, giving him $373.4M over the following six seasons. If he is prepared to commit long-term, it’s extremely probably that the Thunder can be pleased to lock their MVP candidate via his age-32 season.
If his workforce is providing Gilgeous-Alexander the utmost permissible wage, there’s not far more than an agent can get him. Gamers want brokers when their future is unsure, whether or not it is coming into free company or making an attempt to rearrange a commerce. That is one cause Joel Embiid hasn’t had an agent since leaving Inventive Arts Company in 2021.
Embiid misplaced his previous agent, Leon Rose, when Rose turned president of the New York Knicks. However with Embiid staying with the Philadelphia 76ers, he saved an excessive amount of cash on agent commissions when he signed supermax
extensions in 2021 and 2024.
One different former 76er probably regretted going with out an agent. James Harden did not have an agent for six years, earlier than hiring one in February 2023. That was lower than a yr after Harden signed a below-market deal with the Sixers, which he thought would result in a long-term extension. That by no means got here, and Harden finally pressured a commerce to the Los Angeles Clippers after a protracted standoff with Philadelphia.
That is a state of affairs the place an agent is invaluable. However Gilgeous-Alexander dismissing his reps is a good signal that he isn’t planning to play anyplace however Oklahoma Metropolis within the subsequent half-decade.
