“George and Tyronn Lue Discuss Harden’s Recent Slump!”
Accepting shoulder surgery that ended his season, Morant didn’t idle away his time; he also parted ways with his agent, Jim Tanner, as he plans his career trajectory.
According to ESPN, Morant and his agent of five years, Jim Tanner, have gone their separate ways.
There are typically two reasons why players and agents split:
Firstly, it could be that the player wants to go solo. Whether it’s negotiating big contracts with NBA teams or securing various endorsement deals, agents take a cut of the proceeds. The larger the contract, the bigger the cut. So, some players, especially those at their peak, may opt to represent themselves, like James Harden did from 2017 to 2023, handling negotiations through his mother. This saves money and potentially benefits their relatives financially, killing two birds with one stone.
However, as players age and their skills decline, coupled with changes in the job market, players like Harden, feeling pressure, realize that to secure satisfying contracts late in their careers, they need more professional representation. Last February, Harden hired former Adidas executive Troy Payne as his full-time agent. Payne’s firm, Equity, wields considerable influence in the industry, not only in the NBA but also evidenced by Equity’s negotiation of the historic $503 million, 10-year contract for NFL quarterback Mahomes. Harden likely saw their capabilities as a reason to partner with them.
Returning to Morant’s split with his agent, the second reason could be due to the agent’s lack of business acumen. One only needs to look at Payne’s actions, such as helping Harden navigate disputes with the 76ers management and orchestrating his move to the Clippers, to see his prowess. While Morant hasn’t shown signs of splitting from his team, his repeated suspensions are issues his agent, Jim Tanner, needs to address. The first gun incident, resolved through discussions between Morant, Tanner, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, resulted in an eight-game suspension and public apology.
But with Morant’s repeat offenses, there was no room for negotiation during the second gun incident. No matter how skilled Tanner is, he couldn’t absolve Morant once he crossed the league’s threshold. Consequently, Morant received a suspension for the first 25 games of the season. This second suspension not only cost him $7.6 million in salary but also deprived him of All-NBA Team honors, potentially reducing his contract from a projected $233 million over five years to $194 million, a loss of $50 million. Tanner did his best to handle Morant’s messes, but he couldn’t prevent the continuous mistakes.
In addition to the gun incidents, there were also scandalous off-court events involving Morant and exotic dancers. It’s clear that while Morant is immensely talented, anyone who wants to represent him must possess exceptional professional skills!
